Fixing the CEC Submissions Procedure: Are the 2012 Revisions Up to the Task?

Abstract

As it enters its third decade, the citizen submissions procedure of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has real achievements to its credit. By issuing independent investigative reports on alleged failures of the North American governments to effectively enforce their domestic environmental laws, the procedure can help to embarrass the governments into improving their environmental performance. To avoid such embarrassment, however, in recent years the governments have weakened the procedure by delaying reports, limiting their scope, and refusing to follow them up. In partial response to criticisms of these actions, the governments revised the procedure in 2012. This article explains that while the 2012 revisions may help to reduce delays in the process, they do little or nothing to address other problems.

Keywords: Commission for Environmental Cooperation

JEL Classification: K32, K33