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We already knew that the Trans Pacific Partnership is a threat to our jobs, our civil rights, and our national sovereignty, and now we know it's also a danger to our environment. On Wednesday, Wikileaks published a leaked version of the environmental chapter of the TPP, and it's just another example of putting corporate power ahead of public interest.

Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.

Because mega-corporations took part in negotiating the deal, the purpose of environmental chapter is first and foremost to protect trade, not our environment. It relies on so-called corporate accountability, and emphasizes "flexible, voluntary mechanisms, such as voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise." Because - you know - corporate self-regulation has worked out so well for us in the past. This chapter does nothing to mandate that our environment is protected from the destructive nature of corporate greed, and nothing to punish trading partners or corporations who violate environmental standards.
Just like the other leaked sections of the TPP, the environmental chapter alone should be enough to make our lawmakers reject this deal. Instead, they're pushing forward, trying to take away Congress members' right to debate it, and keeping Americans in the dark about negotiations. For the sake of our jobs, our civil rights, our national sovereignty, and now also our environment, we must demand that our legislators reject the TPP.