Stop Fast Track in its tracks

EARTHKEEPING NEWS
A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY

Volume Ten, Number Six
September/October 2001

CALL TO ACTION:

Stop Fast Track In Its Tracks

The Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2001, also known as the Fast Track Trade Authority Act (H.R. 2149 and S.1104), allows the Executive Branch to bypass Congress' constitutional authority over setting trade policy. If authorized, the President will determine the contents of trade agreements, negotiate and sign trade pacts and even write legislation to conform all US laws to the new agreement, while avoiding the regular congressional process and public debate.

If passed, the only role Congress will have is to vote yes or no, with no amendments allowed to a trade agreement, and only 20 hours of debate three months after the President presents the legislation. This puts in jeopardy all laws and standards protecting the environment, labor, human rights, public safety, social services, small farmers, and food — all considered by free trade advocates as irritating "non-tariff barriers."

The opposition around the world to the injustices of free trade, under the World Trade Organization and North American Free Trade Agreement, was made clear in Seattle and recently in Genoa. The proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement, for which President Bush wants Fast Track authority, would expand the rights of transnational corporations to limit the rights of member governments to protect their land and people from exploitation by private investors — in effect, to make all government the handmaiden of the corporation. Given the damage caused by the WTO and NAFTA, the only way to add 31 more countries to the corporate-driven NAFTA is to circumvent Congress using the Fast Track authority.

As of September 4, House bill HR 2149 is in the House Rules Committee, and Senate bill S.1104 is in the Senate Finance Committee. They are up for debate on the floor this month.

The Capitol switchboard number is 202/ 224-3121. Call your representative and senators; ask to speak to a staff member who handles trade issues; tell them your feelings on the environmental and social justice issues in these bills; and request a response to be mailed to you, to hold your representative accountable at voting time.