It also may signal the development of an increasingly sophisticated approach to the use of treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, subjecting environmental regulation to an arena with its own rules, lingo and players.
Public access is limited, routes of appeal are murky and there are no old familiar faces.
In fact, one of the large unanswered questions is whether California even has a voice in the debate, or who would officially represent the state. Theoretically, the whole issue could be decided with no input from California at all. Both state and federal officials say there will be plenty of cooperation, but at the moment nothing formal has been worked out. Technically, what Methanex has filed is only a notice of the company's intent to submit a formal claim at a later date. But the June 15 document filed with the State Department, and the accompanying public statements from the company, leave little doubt that the corporation is serious about pursuing what it feels it is owed under the 1994 trade agreement binding Canada, Mexico and the United States.