Concerned about trade deals
In December, Congress repealed the country-of-origin labeling on beef and pork. The vote was taken after the World Trade Organization imposed $1 billion in import tariffs against the U.S. if the labeling rule was not overturned.
On Jan. 6, TransCanada filed a lawsuit in response to President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone Pipeline permit. The corporation is seeking to recover $15 billion in costs and damages from U.S. taxpayers under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions of the NAFTA trade agreement.
These are prime examples of the power of international trade tribunals to challenge U.S. sovereignty. I believe consumers will no longer be aware of where their beef and pork originate, and corporations will increase their power to sue for loss of projected earnings.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, you need to learn more about what I believe are corporate-dominated tribunals that will have the power to overturn our laws and regulations and place taxpayers at risk. Please educate yourselves and contact your Congressional representatives who will be voting up or down on this trade deal in 2016.
Carol Kemp, Bellingham
This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Concerned about trade deals."