Ambassador Kirk, joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, met with the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC) on Wednesday, June 17, to discuss several policy issues involving trade and environment. TEPAC is a USTR-appointed advisory committee, co-managed with EPA, which provides policy advice on issues involving trade and the environment.
At Wednesday's meeting, Ambassador Kirk emphasized the importance of ensuring that U.S. trade and environment policies are mutually supportive. He also discussed the importance of ongoing efforts to address climate change and USTR's role in both supporting the Administration's efforts to work with Congress on this issue and leading on issues such as the WTO negotiations to eliminate trade barriers of clean technologies. In addition, he shared his commitment to build on good work that has already been done in North America on trade and environment issues through increased institutional cooperation involving the North American Free Trade Agreement and the environmental side agreement, the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.
The 23 current members of TEPAC are drawn from a wide number of sectors including environmental interest groups, industry (including environmental technology and environmental services industries), agriculture, services, and consumer interests. The TEPAC meets with the USTR two to three times a year. Their work is supported by a staff-level group of TEPAC Liaisons which meets more frequently with staff members from USTR, EPA and other relevant agencies.
| Member Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Anne Alonzo | Kraft Food |
| Dennis Avery | Hudson Institute |
| Joseph G. Block | Venable LLP |
| Nancy Zucker Boswell | Transparency International |
| William A. Butler | Audubon Naturalist Society |
| Patricia Forkan | Humane Society International |
| Frank H. Habicht | Global Environment & Technology Foundation |
| Thomas B. Harding | Agrisystems International |
| Jennifer Haverkamp | |
| Rhoda Karpatkin | Consumers Union |
| Dawn Kristoff-Champney | Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Assn. |
| Daniel B. Magraw | Center for International Environmental Law |
| Naotaka Matsukata | Alston & Bird, LLP |
| Frederick O'Regan | International Fund for Animal Welfare |
| Peter Robinson | U.S. Council for International Business |
| Gary Satterfield | Water Equipment Technology Association |
| Jeffrey J. Schott | Institute for International Economics |
| Andrew F. Sharpless | Oceana |
| Frances B. Smith | Competitive Enterprise Institute |
| William J. Snape, III | Endangered Species Coalition |
| David van Hoogstraten | Hunton and Williams |
| Alexander F. Watson | Hills & Company |
| Durwood Zaelke | The Center for Governance and Sustainable Development |
