Mechanisms for Tracking United States Mercury Imports and Exports
In 1997 the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States committed to the North American Regional Action Plan on Mercury under the auspices of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The Regional Action Plan provides a path forward in domestic and trilateral efforts to reduce the mercury exposure of North American ecosystems, fish and wildlife, and humans through the prevention and reduction of anthropogenic mercury releases. The ultimate goal is to achieve a reduction in releases of mercury through appropriate national and international initiatives.
Assessment of Mechanisms in Mexico for Tracking Imports and Exports of Mercury for Use and Disposal
In 1997 the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed to a North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on mercury, intended to support the domestic and trilateral efforts to reduce the exposure of North American ecosystems, flora and fauna, and especially humans, to mercury. The ultimate goal of this NARAP is to prevent […]
Free Trade and the Environment
This booklet summarizes some key observations of work thus far by the CEC Secretariat and the public. It highlights, in particular, findings presented in late 2000 at the first North American Symposium on Understanding the Linkages between Trade and Environment in Washington, DC, as well as places this important work in the broader context of […]
In Search of a Sustainable Palm Market in North America
The goal of the CEC’s work on the Chamaedorea palm, a wild species endemic to Mexico and selected by the CEC’s Governing Council as a pilot species, is to study the possibility of using the market to protect the species. The basic question is, under what conditions, if any, would trading of a wild species […]
NAFTA Provisions and the Electricity Sector
This paper has three objectives: To identify and examine NAFTA rules of relevance to electricity trade, to examine the possible relationship between NAFTA rules and environmental regulations related to the electricity sector, and to examine the possible relationship between NAFTA Chapter Eleven: Investment provisions and environmental regulations and standards.
A Retrospective Review of FERC’s Environmental Impact Statement on Open Transmission Access
Over the last decade there has been an ongoing, extensive discussion of the environmental implications of increased competition in the electricity industry. As part of that discussion, this study examines the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) analysis of “Order 888”, a proposal to increase competition in US wholesale electricity markets by promoting open access to transmission lines.
European Electricity Generating Facilities: An Overview of European Regulatory Requirements and Standardization Efforts
The objective of this study is to present European siting and emission requirements for coal-fired and natural gas generating facilities, and provide an overview of the European standardization process. A summary of the functioning of the European Union is presented. Relevant organizations are identified, current trends are presented.
Modeling Techniques and Estimating Environmental Outcomes
This note has been prepared as a background paper for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) electricity initiative Environmental Challenges and Opportunities of the Evolving North American Electricity Market. Its purpose is to provide background information on as well as the results of the various publicly available models that have been used to evaluate the […]
A Review: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities of the North American Electricity Market Symposium
More than half of all the electricity in the industrialized world is produced and used in North America. The economic convergence of Canada, Mexico, and the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is combining with recently liberalized regulatory trends in all three countries to open up and encourage regional trade across national borders in this form of energy. There are great incentives for this trade to increase in decades to come; yet a fundamental question concerns the manner in which these exchanges (probably integral to economic well being and desirable living standards) have also affected and will affect the natural air-water-and-land environment of the three countries, as well as public health.
Assessing Barriers and Opportunities for Renewable Energy in North America
Renewable energy can contribute substantially to the entire North American electricity supply, to biomass based transport fuels and for space and hot water heating in buildings and industry. Both distributed forms of renewable energy and central large-scale technology options are possible. The manufacturing, installation and maintenance of renewable technology can create substantial employment opportunities for North America. Both wind and biomass fuels could contribute in a major way to enhancing rural economic development in all three countries.
Design and Legal Consideration for North American Emissions Trading
This report, prepared for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America, explores key issues that should be taken into account when considering a multipollutant emissions trading regime that embraces all three NAFTA countries. Consideration of a NAFTA-wide emissions trading system as an environmental policy option is largely in response to the changing dynamics in the North American electricity sector, which have the potential to pose significant air quality and climate change challenges.
Environmental Challenges and Opportunities of the Evolving North American Electricity Market
The purpose of this paper is to identify some key issues pertaining to the changing electricity sector and the environment. It has been prepared by the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). Given the breadth and complexity of issues related to electricity and the environment, this working paper highlights some of the main […]