View source for TPP Presentation - 2/10/2014

= TPP Presentation at Somerville Library - 2/10/2014 =

Presenting: Denise Provost (MA Legislator) and Phil Sego (Sierra Club).

TPP is the ''Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement''.

The FTC has been very secretive about the TPP negotiation
process. Most of what we know comes from [https://www.wikileaks.org leaked documents].

TPP is a federal treaty, and there's a precedent for "federal
pre-emption", which is where federal laws take precedence over state
laws. This would cause TPP to trump state regulations. Only the
federal government can regulate interstate commerce. States cannot.

TPP contains a "super commerce" clause. The super commerce clause states that adopting countries
will make their own laws subordinate to the TPP.

Even TPP advocates say this trade agreement isn't about
tarrifs. Rather, it's about removing "non-tarrif barriers" (i.e.,
weakening or removing laws).

Approximately half of the TPP agreement has been posted on
wikileaks. It's very long: the intellectual property chapter alone
contains over 32,000 words. It's also difficult reading.

TPP would allow more outsourcing of jobs, more anti-union activity,
and wage suppression. Workplace safety laws would become subject to
(and subordinate to) the TPP.

TPP exemplifies the idea of the "investor state". Transnational
corporations would be able to challenge any law or regulation that
could adversely affect corporate profits. This provision is already
part of some smaller treaties. Chevron has used trade agreements to
avoid responsibility for environmental damage in Equador. Phillip
Morris is using this to fight health cigarette labelling laws in
Australia.

Medicine. TPP would extend patent monopolies for drugs. Foreign
corporations would be able to directly challenge any law that
regulates the use of toxins, and any public health law.

Copyright. TPP would criminalize small-scale copyright violations. For
example, downloading an MP3 would be considered a federal crime. ISPs
would be required to monitor what their customers are downloading, and
they'd be required to report potential incidents of copyright
infringement.  TPP would end existing fair-use laws.

Food Safety. TPP would outlaw GMO labelling, as well as country of
origin labelling. GMO labelling would be termed an "illegal trade
barrier". TPP would evicerate food safety laws. For example, Vietnam
has been in particularly bad in the area of food safety. If Vietnam's
equivalent of the FDA said "this food is safe", then the US FDA would
not be able to challenge that claim.

Environment. TPP would trump national, state, and local environment
laws. It will likely lead to more fracking, and higher carbon
emissions. It will likely threaten drinking water supplies.

TPP started during the Bush administration, as a small agreement
between a few countries in Southeast Asia. Dick Cheney wanted to get
in on the negotiations, and the treaty grew from there.

TPP fast track would abdicate congressional authority to vote on the
treaty. Stopping fast track is our first objective, but it's only a
first step. Even if TPP is debated, we still need to worry about
what's included in the agreement.

Other countries (e.g., China) could join the TPP at a later time.

Under TPP, trade disputes (and claims involving adverse effects on
corporate profits) would be handled by tribunals. Some trade
agreements already have such provisions. Tribunals are typically
conducted by a small group (three or so members) of corporate
lawers. Tribunal decisions are not appealable in any country. You
can't challenge the tribunal in court.

When contacting your legislators, a phone call or letter usually
carries more weight than an email (especially a mass-produced
email). Even at the state level, lobbyists contact legislators far
more often than constituents do.