[CTC] Demand transparency in the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Excellent petition from Friends of the Earth...

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bill Waren, Friends of the Earth" <foe at foe.org>
Date: April 27, 2012 11:24:59 AM PDT
To: arthur at citizenstrade.org
Subject: Demand transparency in the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement
Reply-To: foe at foe.org


Dear Arthur,


Sign the petition by May 4 to demand an end to secrecy in the Trans- 
Pacific free trade agreement negotiations.
We need your help to prevent another back-room free trade deal that  
benefits big corporations at the expense of the environment.

Please add your name to our petition demanding that U.S. officials  
move negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade  
agreement into the light of day.

The Trans-Pacific trade pact is a massive new trade deal involving at  
least nine Pacific countries, from the U.S. to Australia to Vietnam.

 From past experience, we know what free trade deals brokered by and  
for corporations look like: they give sweeping rights to private  
investors while undermining protections for people and the  
environment. They allow corporations to run roughshod over  
governments' ability to regulate mining and oil drilling, to stop  
deforestation by big agribusiness, to promote clean energy, to  
preserve biodiversity, and more.

Despite the far-reaching nature of the Trans-Pacific free trade  
agreement, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has refused to release  
the negotiating proposals for public scrutiny.

While you, I and the majority of Americans are barred from knowing  
what's taking place in negotiations, approximately 600 corporate  
lobbyists have been named "cleared advisors," giving them regular  
access. One corporate trade attorney with decades of experience in  
international trade negotiations recently gloated that, "This is the  
least transparent trade negotiation I have ever seen."

This secrecy isn't right -- and it prevents meaningful public debate  
about the consequences this trade pact would have on people and the  
environment. Sign the petition to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk  
today to demand transparency and the public release of the Trans- 
Pacific free trade agreement negotiating proposals.

Trans-Pacific Partnership talks resume May 8 through May 18 in Dallas,  
Texas. I'll be in Dallas working with allies from the labor, faith,  
consumer and public health movements to deliver the petition with your  
signatures to U.S. officials.

By adding your name, you'll help expose back-door attacks on jobs, the  
environment and human rights -- and build momentum from every corner  
of the country to stop another unjust trade agreement drafted to the  
specifications of Wall Street and multinational corporations.

Please sign our online petition by May 4 to urge U.S. Trade  
Representative Ron Kirk to publicly release the negotiating proposals  
for the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement.

You have the right to know what negotiators and lobbyists are trading  
away in your name. Please take action now.

Sincerely,
Bill Waren
Trade Policy Analyst, Friends of the Earth



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