| Montreal, 25/09/2006 – On 22 September 2006, Roberto Abe Almada (the Submitter) filed with the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) a citizen submission asserting that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law with respect to the operation, closure and dismantling of a paint pigment manufacturing plant operated by BASF Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. (BASF) in Cuautla, in the state of Morelos.
In submission SEM-06-004 (Ex Hacienda El Hospital III), the Submitter reiterates assertions contained in submission SEM-06-003 (Ex Hacienda El Hospital II), to which the Secretariat requested a response from Mexico on 30 August 2006. In addition, he alleges that the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente—Profepa) did not act upon learning the results of its own sampling efforts and of third-party studies revealing soil contamination allegedly caused by BASF.
The Secretariat of the CEC will now analyze the submission to determine whether it meets the requirements of Article 14 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).
The CEC citizen submission mechanism allows citizens to play an active "whistleblower" role in matters relating to environmental law enforcement. Pursuant to NAAEC Article 14, any citizen or nongovernmental organization may file a submission when it believes that a NAFTA partner is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law. After reviewing the submission, the CEC may investigate the matter and publish a factual record of its findings.
For more information, please visit the CEC's Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters page. |
