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CAFTA The Bush administration recently completed negotiations on the expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) through the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). In the name of fostering commerce, CAFTA would put communities at risk by setting sharp limits on governments' authority to protect public health and the environment. CAFTA covers areas ranging from agriculture, services, intellectual property rights, investment and food safety to name a few. The countries covered by CAFTA include the U.S., Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. CAFTA and the proposed FTAA would not only give foreign investors new powers to challenge community and environmental safeguards, but also could force governments to weaken environmental standards covering a wide-range of service industries. Like NAFTA, under CAFTA's provisions governments could be barred from setting limits on mining and logging activities in ecologically sensitive areas, and from requiring agribusinesses to use pesticides safely. The Bush-administration views CAFTA as a stepping stone to an expansion of NAFTA across the rest of the Western Hemisphere through the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Negotiations on the FTAA have been ongoing for several years, and have been stalled because of differences between especially the U.S. and Brazil. The Bush-administration is hoping that CAFTA could help energize the FTAA talks. Faces of Trade: Read six personal accounts of real people affected by CAFTA. A bean farmer in Nicaragua describes the struggle to compete with subsidized bean farmers in North America. Citizens of a small town in El Salvador fear the repurcussions of a planned Gold Mine in their area. Women battle against starvation wages at their factory in Guatemala. Read more... Father Tamayo Goes to Washington: Goldman Environmental Prize-winner Father José Andrés Tamayo visited California and Washington DC to speak out against the effects CAFTA will have on his community in Olancho, Honduras, which has been besieged by illegal logging. Read more... Factsheets and Reports on CAFTA Sierra Club factsheet on CAFTA CAFTA's impact on Central America's environment Comprehensive Analysis of the CAFTA Text (pdf) Response to the U.S. – Central American Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) CAFTA's Environmental Provions: Weak, Unenforceable and Full of Loopholes (pdf) CAFTA provides foreign investors greater rights than U.S. companies (pdf) Sign-on letters and statements U.S. Catholic Bishops Urge Congress to evaluate Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with moral criteria CAFTA will weaken Health, Safety and Environmental Laws (pdf) League of Conservation Voters opposes CAFTA (pdf) Central American Environmental Groups: CAFTA’s Environmental Provisions Falls Far Short (Word doc) Central American Environmental Groups Say NO to CAFTA (Word doc) Sierra Club Applauds the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for speaking out against CAFTA (pdf) Statement from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (pdf) Letter from environmental organizations opposed to CAFTA, April 2005 Environmental Groups Say No to CAFTA Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope's CAFTA statement photo courtesy of photos.com Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club