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Suit seeks to overturn GMO ban ... Standing Stone stands up for Emergency Food Bank ... Ashland Calendar ... Suit seeks to overturn GMO ban ... Standing Stone stands up for Emergency Food Bank ... RELOCATIONS Tell Wyden not to push trade pact DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Nov. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Nov. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Why is U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden greasing the skids in Congress for the most threatening trade agreement our nation has ever negotiated? Why is he ignoring the devastating effect of existing trade agreements on U.S. manufacturing? Why is he willing to undercut protection of the environment at home and abroad? And why is he willing to turn over our national sovereignty to transnational corporations? Beginning today, opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will spend a week trying to hold Wyden accountable. Long opposed to the TPP, Peace House has joined this effort. Along with hundreds of environmental, labor, religious, and civic organizations, we are urging our supporters to contact Wyden. As chair of the Senate Finance Committee until the new Congress convenes next year, Wyden will play a decisive role on the fate of the TPP. Word is he’s putting together a “trade promotion authority” bill for the lame duck session. Though he speaks of it as “Smart Track,” not “Fast Track,” it’s another way of preventing Congress from amending whatever the president submits for ratification. For the remainder of this column, I want to justify the most inflammatory assertion I made about the TPP (and, by extension, Wyden) — namely, that it surrenders national sovereignty to corporations. All the trade pacts negotiated under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) were about lowering tariffs. Thus, the debate was always “free trade” vs. “protectionism.” A major shift occurred when the World Trade Organization was established in 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, which replaced GATT. The WTO offered a mechanism for overturning any laws at the federal, state, or municipal level that allegedly interfered with trade. In secret tribunals, a few men in suits could authorize retaliatory trade measures if the laws weren’t repealed. But the WTO empowered only national governments to bring such actions. NAFTA, which went into effect in 1994, gave such authority to corporations. Under Chapter 11, they could sue to require repeal of any laws interfering with their potential profits, or alternatively get monetary compensation. This same authority is built into the TPP as the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provision. The pact, which is being negotiated by 11 Asian/Pacific nations, will cover approximately 40 percent of world trade. And as a “docking agreement,” it will remain open to others to join later. There are numerous instances of corporations using their power under ISDS provisions of trade agreements to attack laws and regulations. I’ll cite one now, but my column next week will further discuss the TPP and include more instances to display the gravity of this threat to our democracy. Using Chapter 11, Metalclad, a U.S. corporation, challenged the decision of Guadalcázar, Mexico to deny it a permit to construct a toxic waste facility unless Metalclad cleaned up the 20,000-plus tons of toxic waste in the company’s landfill, which was leaking into the city’s water supply. A secret tribunal awarded Metalclad $16.2 million for loss of future profits. Call Wyden. Herb Rothschild Jr. is chairman of the board of Peace House.           DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Nov. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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