The Executive Order is in response to environmental community concerns that existing trade rules threaten the environment, and demands that the environmental impacts of future trade should be assessed and mitigated. Now that we no longer have to fight tooth and nail to convince the government to do environmental assessments every time a trade agreement comes up, we can put our energy into making sure the assessments are done right. Unfortunately, the order fails to require environmental assessments of investment agreements.
Environmental assessment is a critical part of environmental law.
Conducting an environmental assessment of a proposed project or policy helps to evaluate the potential impacts and avoid the environmental problem altogether by identifying mitigative options. Friends of the Earth - 1025 Vermont Ave.