Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 5, 1993 TAG: 9303050370
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
EXAMINE CLOSELY THOSE FREE-TRADE BENEFITS
THE NEW CATCH phrase these days seems to be that we are working toward a "global economy." The many trade agreements now under consideration or being passed show that national leaders and corporations are pushing this concept into reality.But what does so-called free trade, and national trade agreements like GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), mean to everyday citizens and workers in the United States? Free trade is something most of us support in theory, but trade agreements are not always as beneficial as they sound.
The GATT trade agreement has many harmful aspects that the media (including the Roanoke Times & World-News) continue to gloss over. For example, GATT representatives ruled that the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects dolphins from deadly tuna-fishing techniques, had to be eliminated because it violated a provision that prevents nations from enforcing environmental or health laws affecting nations outside their borders. Also, individual citizens, environmental and consumer advocates, and members of Congress will be barred from GATT decision-making.
In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would phase out production, import and use of asbestos over a seven-year period. The Canadian government challenged EPA regulations in court, claiming EPA had violated GATT and the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement.
This represents a trend that shows these free-trade agreements will be used to dismantle and "cancel out" strong environmental and worker-safety standards established in the United States.
Americans need to be aware that GATT decision-making meetings take place behind closed doors and meetings are not announced. There is not even a written record of negotiations available to the public. However, representatives of multinational corporations, including Dow Chemical, Amoco, Weyerhauser and many others, are routinely invited to serve as advisers. You must really question the results of this decision-making process.
Workers and environmentalists are banding together to halt these agreements until labor and environmental standards are placed as a higher priority. We must scrutinize these free-trade agreements closely as many environmental and health victories citizens have won in the last 50 years are at stake.\ PETE D. CASTELLI III Regional Director Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste, Inc.\ FLOYD