由學術、環保、保育團體組成的一個國際聯盟於24日聯合向美國、墨西哥及加拿大政府呼籲，停止干涉由該三國組成的「環境合作委員會」（Commission for Environmental Cooperation，CEC）的運作，尤其是在民眾投訴程序方面。
針對民眾投訴而言，共有20個團體及部分人士在致函給高階環境官員的信中說道，隨著政府的干涉日益強大，民眾投訴的管道在未來可說是岌岌可危。此外，加拿大最大的環境法律組織－環境正義( Ecojustice)律師事務所的律師科爾（Albert Koehl）表示，「環境合作委員會扮演著環境守門人的角色，而對於政府過度干預其運作的行為，我們深表關切。」
「環境合作委員會」（Commission for Environmental Cooperation，CEC）是在1994年，由北美自由貿易協議（North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA）簽署而成立，其秘書處設立於蒙特婁，主要是調查NAFTA各會員國，不會因為鬆散又未強力執行的環境政策，而投機性地推動有違於全美利益的營運模式；此外該委員會是第一個將環境保育與商業利益結合的組織。
委員會簽署的條約中包括，當一國未能徹底落實該國的環境法律時，民眾有權要求對其進行調查；因此另一方面，當政府未能有效率的實施環境法律時，民眾申訴的機制就適時扮演了舉發者的角色。
日前公眾向「環境合作委員會」提出一份訴求，內容指出NAFTA會員國的缺失，而一旦經過檢視後，委員會便可能針對訴求的內容進行調查並發表調查結果。
然而申訴團體指出，儘管三個國家看似冷靜又互助合作，但事實上卻一直阻撓調查的進行並限制調查範圍。
An international coalition of academics, environmental, and conservation groups today called on the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada to "stop interfering" with the tri-national Commission for Environmental Cooperation, CEC, particularly its core citizen complaint procedure.
The 20 groups and individuals say in their letter to the top environmental officials of the three countries that the citizen submission process "has reached a critical point with its future threatened by ongoing political interference."
"We are deeply concerned by increasingly blatant government interference in the operations of this important environmental watchdog," said Albert Koehl, lawyer with Ecojustice, Canada largest environmental law organization.
Based in Montreal, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation was established in 1994 in a side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, to address fears that NAFTA would prompt businesses to leave the United States because of lax environmental enforcement elsewhere. The Commission was the first of its kind in the world in linking environmental cooperation with trade relations.
The side agreement includes a provision allowing citizens to request investigations into a country's failure to enforce its own environmental laws.
The Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters mechanism enables the public to play an active whistleblower role when a government appears to be failing to enforce its environmental laws effectively.
Members of the public trigger the process by submitting to the CEC a claim alleging such a failure on the part of any of the NAFTA partners.
After a review of the submission, the CEC may investigate the matter and publish a factual record of its findings.
While, all appears calm and cooperative on the surface, the groups allege that the three governments are undermining the work of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation by obstructing its investigations and limiting their scope.
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
