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BIPARTISAN TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY ACT OF 2001 -- (Extensions of Remarks -
December 14, 2001)
[Page: E2305] GPO's PDF
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SPEECH OF
HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY
OF RHODE ISLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, December 6, 2001
- Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R.
3005, the Trade Promotion Authority Act. I believe in free trade that is also
fair trade, and this bill does not ensure that our future trade agreements
will fit that description.
- I strongly feel that we have to learn from the experience of the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ), which has been a failure.
Since NAFTA our trade deficit
with Mexico has increased, the environment along the US/Mexico border has
gravely suffered, consumer safety has been put at risk due to the importation
of goods that are poorly inspected, and manufacturing jobs in states like
Rhode Island have been put at risk as employers leave for Mexico and other
countries.
- I also am concerned about the role that international organizations such
as the World Trade Organization have on our national sovereignty. Our
hard-fought federal, state, and local regulations that protect our consumers
and environment will be put at risk by H.R. 3005. The bill would allow our
environmental agreements that safeguard biodiversity, control the use of
particular pollutants, and preserve our most endangered species, to be
challenged as unacceptable barriers to trade.
- Another major problem with the bill is its failure to learn from NAFTA's mistakes when it comes to
corporate investment. Foreign corporations are using NAFTA's Chapter 11 on investment to challenge core
governmental functions. Rhode Islanders need to be particularly concerned
about this. We need to learn from the experience of the State of California
which has been sued by the Canadian company, Methanex, because of California's
ban on MTBE, a gasoline additive. This example is particularly pertinent to
Rhode Island, because the Pascoag water district of Burrillville, Rhode Island
has a contaminated water supply from MTBE. If we pass The Trade Promotion
Authority Act, we need to be aware that we open the door to place Rhode Island
laws and regulations at the mercy of foreign firms.