> > Action Alert to Save Producer Responsibility from Attack by the US Trade > > Rep. > > > > Don't Trade Away our Health and the Environment! > > > > Your immediate assistance is needed to defend an important new > initiative > > that will help protect environmental health and safety by phasing out > > persistent, bio-accumulative toxics and by cleaning up the life cycle of > > computer manufacturing and other electronic and electrical products. > > > > This new "take-back" Directive, developed by the European Commission, > > focuses on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and is > > designed to address the growing piles of electronic junk. Besides > phasing > > out toxic chemicals, the directive will require producers of electronic > > and > > electrical equipment to assume financial and legal responsibility for > > their > > products throughout their entire life cycle; it also establishes a > > framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). > > > > However, the US Trade Representative (USTR) -- at the request of the > > American Electronics Association (AEA), the largest trade association > of > > the electronics industry with more than 3000 members -- is launching a > new > > lobbying attack on the WEEE Directive. > > > > The AEA is using international trade law as a weapon to dictate global > > health and environmental policy to protect the economic interests of > its > > members (Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Motorola, etc.). In a 15 page legal > > position paper, the AEA asserts the proposed phase-out of the listed > > persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic materials -- lead, mercury, > cadmium, > > hexavalent chromium and halogenated flame retardants -- and the > provision > > requiring at least 5% recycled plastics in electronic and electrical > > products are "illegal" and violate World Trade Organization (WTO) > rules. > > > > > > Rather than working to defend and protect our health and environment, > the > > USTR staff is supporting the AEA's position in discussions with other US > > and international agencies. > > > > European NGOs such as the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), ANPED > (the > > Northern Alliance for Sustainability) and other environmental health and > > consumer organizations in Europe have asked us to help protect the WEEE > > Directive. By supporting their initiative, we are fighting for improved > > global standards for everyone. If adopted in Europe, this Directive > will > > help our efforts for similar legislation in the US to reduce toxics and > > promote clean production. It is crucial that US activists involved in > > toxics, waste, recycling, incineration, corporate accountability, > consumer > > advocacy, international trade, human rights and/or democracy issues make > > our voices heard before the US government adopts the myopic views of the > > U.S. computer industry on these important environmental issues. > > > > TAKE ACTION. Time is of the essence. With the intensive lobbying > efforts > > of the electronics industry, the US is formulating its position to > oppose > > this directive. Please take a few moments to fax or send a letter on > your > > own letterhead to Vice-President Gore and tell him to bring an immediate > > halt to the USTR's lobbying activities. You can use the enclosed text > as > > a model. Please also send (or e-mail) a copy to Silicon Valley Toxics > > Coalition ([EMAIL PROTECTED] or fax 408-287-6771). We will add your name to > > the action alert on our website. We may also publish ads in national > > media. Thanks very much for your support. > > > > For additional background on this issue: > > > > **find a copy of the letter to Pres. Clinton and signatories at > > http://www.svtc.org/cleancc.weeeustr.htm > > **find a copy of the letter to the European Commission at > > http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/weeeletr.htm > > **find a copy of the draft directive on our website at > > http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/weeedir.htm. > > **view the position of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) at > > http://www.greenchannel.org/eeb > > **view the position of the AEA at > http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/weeeaea.htm > > > > White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461 > > Vice President Gore's e-mail - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > USTR - Ms. Charlene Barshefsky, US Trade Representative - fax > > 202-395-3911; > > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > US EPA - Ms. Carol Browner, Administrator - fax: 2002-260-0279; e-mail: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/senator/index.html > > To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/ > > > > > > Dear Vice-President Gore: > > > > We are writing to request your immediate assistance to help defend an > > important environmental initiative, the draft European Commission > > Directive > > on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). This draft > > directive -- which is designed to address the growing problem of > obsolete > > electronic equipment -- will help protect environmental health and > safety > > on both sides of the Atlantic by phasing out some of the worst toxic > > chemicals, cleaning up the life-cycle of computer manufacturing, > promoting > > Producer Responsibility and encouraging similar Clean Production > > initiatives outside Europe, particularly within the United States. > > > > However, rather than defending and protecting our health and > environment, > > the US Trade Representative (USTR) is lobbying on behalf of the > > electronics > > industry to oppose this directive as a barrier to international trade. > We > > ask that you intervene to put an immediate stop to the USTR's lobbying > > activities. > > > > We have learned that the American Electronics Association (AEA) -- whose > > members include Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and Motorola -- is using > > international trade law as a weapon to dictate global health and > > environmental policy. In a 15 page legal position paper, the AEA > asserts > > that various provisions of the WEEE are "illegal" under international > > trade > > law and, therefore, violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. > > > > In his March 15, 1999 statement at a high-level WTO symposium on trade > and > > the environment, President Clinton said, "We must do more to ensure > that > > spirited economic competition among nations never becomes a race to the > > bottom. We should be leveling environmental protections up, not down." > > The > > draft WEEE directive is an excellent opportunity to place these words > into > > action. > > > > We urge you to join us in working to make sure that weaker environmental > > standards are not forced upon the European Union by unfair global trade > > laws. At stake in this controversy are three vital environmental > > principles. > > > > 1. Producers must be ultimately responsible for their products. The WEEE > > Directive's premise is that the producer of all electronic products and > > electrical equipment must be financially responsible for managing their > > products throughout their lifecycle, including at the end of life. The > > public should not have to pay extra taxes for waste management costs of > > hazardous materials that producers choose to use in electrical and > > electronic equipment. > > > > 2. Trade Associations must not be allowed to dictate environmental > health > > policy. It is vital to support the WEEE directive's provisions for > > encouraging the recycling of plastics and phasing out toxic chemicals > that > > are persistent in the environment and known health hazards. We must > leel > > environemtnal standards up, not down. This will help clean up the entire > > product chain, alleviate worker health problems, and reduce hazardous > > emissions to the environment not only in Europe, but in America as well. > > > > > 3. U.S. policy must represent all of us, not just large corporations. > > The USTR has no right to lobby on behalf of corporations against the > > interests of the American public. We are offended to learn that the > U.S. > > Trade Representative (USTR) and the American Electronics Association > (AEA) > > are using the World Trade Organization (WTO) to undermine important and > > beneficial environmental initiatives. > > > > The USTR is pushing the US government to take a position opposing this > > regulation behind closed doors and without the benefit of public notice > > and > > comment period required for proposed new regulations under US laws. > Since > > US law requires that the federal government involve the public in > setting > > domestic environmental standards, surely the federal government should > > also > > involve the public before attacking the positive environmental standards > > of > > other countries that will directly benefit the American public. > > > > We call on you to reign in USTR's interference in the legitimate > > environmental decisions of the European Commission. Given the direct > > health and environmental impacts of the WEEE Directive on both sides of > > the > > Atlantic, the US government should refrain from any further official > > comment on this initiative until it has consulted all interested parties > > through public notice and comment rule-making procedures. > > > > Yours sincerely > > (please add your name and organization here) > > > > cc: USTR Representative Charlene Barshefsky > > EPA Administrator Carol Browner > > US Senators > > US Representatives > > > > > >
