EPA International Priorities announced by agency administrator.
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Press Release Summary:
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced international priorities at meeting of Commission for Environmental Cooperation in Guanajuato, Mexico. Generally speaking, international priorities aim to promote citizen engagement, improve public health, and increase government accountability on environmental enforcement. Along with 7 EPA priorities issued earlier this year, there are 6 international priorities designed to guide future work.
Original Press Release:
Administrator Jackson Announces EPA's International Priorities
Agency to work with other countries to curb pollution at home and abroad
WASHINGTON - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has announced the agency's international priorities at a meeting of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation she is attending in Guanajuato, Mexico. The international priorities echo Administrator Jackson's priorities for EPA, which she announced earlier this year, and aim to promote citizen engagement, improve public health and increase government accountability on environmental enforcement.
"Pollution doesn't stop at international borders, and neither can our environmental and health protections. The local and national environmental issues of the past are now global challenges," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "This document sends a strong message to our partners in the international community that our challenges are shared challenges, and that we are eager to work together on solutions. Along with the seven EPA priorities I issued earlier this year, these six international priorities will guide our work during the months and years ahead."
When EPA was established 40 years ago, Americans were concerned about lakes and rivers burning and air pollution in their own cities. In 2010, the environmental challenges are global, with pollutants from around the world ending up in America's backyards. EPA is working collaboratively with our international partners to protect human health and our shared environment.
EPA's bilateral and multilateral partnerships have taken on new significance in the face of shared environmental and governance challenges, such as global climate change and improving children's environmental health outcomes. The agency's international priorities will guide EPA's collaboration with CEC and all international partners.
The priorities include:
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation was created by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The group of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican environmental leaders has gathered to discuss the commission's strategic plan and establish priority projects for the next five years. Founded in 1994, the commission is an innovative organization that recognizes and acts to mitigate the impacts of cross-border commerce on the environment. Since then, EPA's cooperation with Mexico and other international partners has expanded to address the more complex role that environmental protection has played in ensuring our national security, facilitating global commerce, promoting sustainable development, and adapting to climate change.
More information on EPA's international priorities: http://www.epa.gov/international/topsix.html
For a transcript of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's speech: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/12a744ff56dbff8585257590004750b6/04fb75c64066cd8c85257782005b2782!OpenDocument
CONTACT:
Jalil Isa
isa.jalil@epa.gov
202-564-3226
202-564-4355