232181 International Trade Restrictions to State and Local Public Health Regulations

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

Doug Farquhar, JD , Environmental Health, National Conference of State Legislatures; University of Denver, Denver, CO
        
Many advocates of environmental health, in fact, many public policymakers, pay little attention to trade laws. These laws, which govern international trade and allow for globalization, have little enforcement powers and speak even less on health, safety, and the regulation of the environment. Yet by their design and implementation have altered, amended and outright banned laws and policies designed to protect the public's safety.

This paper discusses two areas of international trade: the North American Free Trade Agreement Side Agreement on the Environment and Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and how these agreements prohibit states and other subnational governments from enacting laws to protect the public from environmental hazards.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
- define limitations and challenges to state and local laws under international trade agreements - assess the extent these agreements limits the public health laws - identify responses to ensure public health laws are not challenged

Keywords: Decision-Making, Legislative

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I teach graduate students and law student on this subject matter.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4125.0: Trade, Health and Social Justice