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Published in Summer 2006
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North American environmental agenda enhanced by RETC
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By William V. Kennedy
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If a North American environmental agenda can be said to exist, then surely the publication of Mexico’s first industrial emissions database this summer is a milestone to celebrate.
The benefits to Mexico of the Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes (RETC), its first, mandatory pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) as described in this edition of TRIO, are many: public access to detailed information concerning the release and transfer of 104 toxic chemicals along with new measures for managing industrial releases and enforcing environmental law. More generally, the RETC marks another in a series of environmental reforms Mexico has accomplished over the past ten years—including regulatory enhancement in the management of hazardous wastes, air quality, and wildlife.
Less obvious, but equally important, are the benefits to North America. First, the RETC fills a key gap in our understanding of the total, continent-wide volume of the release and transfer of certain toxic chemicals. Readers familiar with the CEC’s annual Taking Stock analysis of PRTR information will note that a truly North American accounting of industrial emissions on the continent has been lacking thus far due to the absence of comparable data from Mexican industries.
Second, the RETC demonstrates in a very real way the benefit of international cooperation through the CEC. From the earliest days of the organization, Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed to develop what was then the world’s first matched set of trinational data on pollution releases and transfers. From 1995 through 2001, the CEC Council agreed on numerous resolutions and statements calling for the establishment of comparable public pollution registers throughout our three countries.
Since then, through the CEC’s PRTR project, Canada, Mexico, and the United States have worked together to improve comparability among their national reporting systems. Along the way, the CEC sponsored and supported training workshops, data analysis, and combined public and industry perspectives with regulatory and reporting expertise to support the development of Mexico’s RETC, which now requires all industries under federal jurisdiction to measure, record and report emissions going into the air, land and water.
Our 2004 Puebla Declaration cast a vision for the CEC of an organization that is a catalyst for environmental action by our three countries. I believe the path we followed to the publication of RETC data makes that vision a reality. Moreover, it illustrates the CEC’s approach to other key environmental challenges facing our three countries. Whether it’s the sound management of
chemicals, conservation of biodiversity, or pollution prevention, the CEC’s approach is characterized by trinational cooperation, transparency and the engagement of key stakeholders.
In the Puebla Declaration, the CEC Council also sought to ground the CEC’s work on three key priorities. Our PRTR program and the accomplishment of Mexico’s RETC demonstrate the practical application and accomplishment of these priorities. Very simply, in terms of the “Information for Decision-making” priority, we now have the opportunity to incorporate industrial pollution data from Mexico to inform policy-making in a North American context. “Capacity Building” has been a significant accomplishment as well, since regulatory and reporting officials in Canada and the United States worked with their Mexican counterparts to build the RETC system. And finally, in terms of “Trade and Environment,” companies operating in the context of NAFTA now face a more level playing field in terms of public reporting and accountability for their environmental performance.
It has taken us a long time and much work to get to this point. Congratulations are due to Mexico’s environmental officials and their PRTR counterparts in Canada and the United States. As significant an accomplishment as the RETC represents, it will take the continued commitment of all our partners, in government, industry and the public to secure the ongoing development of comparable PRTR information in North America.
Adios… Au revoir…
This coming September will mark the end of my tenure as the executive director of the CEC Secretariat. For someone who has spent a career in environmental management, it has been a rewarding three years and I look back with satisfaction on a number of accomplishments. I’m pleased to have played a role in the shaping the Commission’s long-term vision as articulated in the 2004 Puebla Declaration, followed by our five-year strategic plan, as well as strengthening the CEC’s ties with the private sector. I leave with some confidence that the path forward is clearer for this work, and that despite the big challenges we face, this small organization will continue to fulfill the laudable objectives set forth in the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.
I would like to thank the many members of the CEC family in each of our three countries, from government officials to public volunteers for their ongoing contribution to this unique organization. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to the dedicated staff of the CEC Secretariat for their commitment and support.
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