Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON -- Today, the Senate voted to pass Donald Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 despite serious, high-profile concerns over the proposal. Over the past two weeks, prominent members of Congress -- including Senators Sanders, Harris, Schumer, Gillibrand, Booker, Markey, Whitehouse, Schatz, and Reed -- have pledged to vote against Trump’s deal, citing its major climate failures as a primary reason for their opposition.
At this week’s Democratic debates, opposition to the deal’s climate failures took center stage. As mentioned at the debate, virtually all leading environmental organizations are united in opposition to a deal that would lock in more climate disruption and toxic pollution for decades to come. The Sierra Club previously evaluated the text against the fundamental changes the environmental community has repeatedly called for. The revised deal fails on each of 7 core environmental priorities.
Last month, Data For Progress released new polling that found over 60% of voters believe trade agreements should reinforce the Paris Climate Agreement, include binding standards to limit pollution, and ensure independent enforcement of environmental standards. Donald Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 includes none of the above, and in fact, Trump’s deal does not even mention climate change.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"Donald Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 is a raw deal for the climate and communities across North America. The science is clear that we have just 10 years to avoid a total climate catastrophe, but today’s vote moves us one step closer to locking in Trump’s polluting legacy for decades to come. We need trade agreements that work in lock step with the goals of the Paris Agreement, not backdoor deals that help corporations export pollution and jobs, weaken climate protections, and extract more fossil fuels. After enduring over two decades of NAFTA, we cannot afford decades more of Trump’s toxic NAFTA 2.0.
“The Sierra Club applauds the climate champions who took a stand for our climate, communities, and children and voted no on Trump’s NAFTA 2.0. We look forward to working with Congress to craft a new model of trade that replaces Trump’s giveaways to corporate polluters with binding climate standards, support for good clean energy jobs, and enforceable protections for workers, communities, and the planet.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.