| Montreal, 28/02/2003 – The Chair of Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America, Mr. Gustavo Alanís-Ortega, is pleased to announce that US President George W. Bush has appointed five new American members to JPAC and that a new Canadian JPAC member has been appointed by the honourable David Anderson, Environment Minister of Canada.
"JPAC is one of the most innovative creations of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). It has played a vital role in helping to guide the CEC, and the success of JPAC can be largely attributed to the quality of its members. I am pleased to have the new members join the team," stated Mr. Alanís-Ortega.
New JPAC members from the United States
Patricia Clarey
Ms. Clarey is vice president of government relations of Health Net, Inc. in Woodland Hills, California.
Dinkerrai Desai
Mr. Desai is the environmental coordinator at the US Army Material Command in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
Arturo Duran
Mr. Duran is the general manager of the Lower Valley Water District in El Paso, Texas.
Jane Gardner
Ms. Gardner is the manager and counsel, remediation programs, corporate environmental programs (CEP) at the General Electric Company, in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Patricia McDonald
Ms. McDonald is a consultant in Wilson, Wyoming.
New JPAC member from Canada
Dan Christmas
Mr. Christmas is the senior advisor at the Membertou Band Council in Membertou, Nova Scotia.
Next JPAC meetings
JPAC's next meetings will be held on 24-27 March 2003, in Mexico City, in conjunction with the CEC's second North American Symposium on Assessing the Environmental Effects of Trade. These events will include a public workshop on NAFTA Chapter 11 on 24 March and a regular session on 27 March.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners in implementing NAAEC, the environmental side accord to NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.
JPAC is a 15-member, independent, volunteer body that provides advice and public input to Council on any matter within the scope of NAAEC. JPAC is composed of fifteen members, five from each of the three NAFTA countries, and is responsible for providing advice to the CEC Council on any matter within the scope of NAAEC.
For more information or to obtain other documents related to JPAC, including the list of JPAC members and the next meetings, please consult the CEC's home page <http://www.cec.org> or place a request with Manon Pepin at the CEC Secretariat, e-mail: <mpepin@ccemtl.org>, fax: (514) 350-4314 or telephone: (514) 350-4305. | 
