Frank Pallone: “the major environmental organizations, some of which were strong supporters of NAFTA in 1993, have expressed their…”

“the major environmental organizations, some of which were strong supporters of NAFTA in 1993, have expressed their opposition to the current fast track proposals moving through the House and Senate. The National Wildlife Federation, the National Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife have joined with the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and dozens of other grassroots environmental organizations around the country who oppose this legislation. The debate currently raging over fast track is not a question of whether the United States enters into a global economy, it is a question of how we participate in that economy, and whether we should sacrifice the rights of workers in this country and around the world in the name of free trade. It is a question of whether we should capitulate to multinational corporations which would bargain down the environmental protection standards of nations around the world in the name of competitiveness. Mr. Speaker, the United States cannot afford to encourage a race to the bottom when it comes to preserving the global environmental or the rights of workers to a safe workplace and a fair wage. We should vote down this fast track legislation when it comes up at the end of this week.”