by Erin B. Allweiss Communications Director Congressman Earl Blumenauer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced that a controversial plan to open up part of the Amazonian rainforest to oil and gas exploration had been abandoned by the Peruvian Government. This environmental victory can be attributed to ground-breaking environmental provisions, championed by Blumenauer, in the U.S.-Peru Trade Agreement. The trade agreement passed the Ways and Mean Committee today by a 39-0 vote.
Last month, the Peruvian Ministers' Council debated a proposal to open 209,000 acres of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park in southeastern Peru to oil and gas exploration. This park has been designated by the National Geographic Society as one of the world's seven "iconic natural sanctuaries." Blumenauer, working with environmental and sustainable development advocates in the United States and Peru, sent a letter to Peruvian Ambassador to the United States Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos reminding him that the pending trade agreement between the United States and Peru prohibits weakening environmental protections to attract trade or investment and urging the Government of Peru to withdraw its support. This and other environmental provisions were added to the Peru Trade Agreement at Blumenauer's insistence. Yesterday, Ortiz de Zevallos assured Blumenauer personally that the Government of Peru is no longer supporting the drilling proposal and would not pursue it in the future.
"Including fully enforceable environmental requirements in the Peru Trade Agreement was a priority of mine, and already we are seeing the impact these requirements are having on protecting our planet," said Congressman Blumenauer. "That the U.S.-Peru trade agreement saved a rainforest is a testament to how trade negotiations can be used to advance the values most dear to Oregonians: protecting the environment, helping workers, and strengthening local economies. Had it not been for the threat of action under the Peru Trade Agreement, the world could have lost this important environmental treasure."
Among its environmental provisions, the Peru Trade Agreement:
* Requires that both the United States and Peru enforce key multilateral environmental agreements;
* Prohibits the United States and Peru from weakening their labor or environmental laws to attract trade or investment in a race to the bottom;
* Prohibits trade in illegally-logged wood and wood products; and
* Protects the United States' and Peru's rights to pass laws and regulations for the public welfare, in areas such as public health, food safety, and the environment.
The U.S.-Peru Trade Agreement will likely be considered by the full House next week.