NAFTA contains a provision that requires "proportional sharing"
of energy resources now being traded between the signatory
countries. This means that the oil and gas resources no longer
belong to the country of extraction, but are a shared resource of
the continent. For example, under NAFTA, Canada now exports 57
percent of its natural gas to the United States and is not allowed
to cut back on these supplies, even to cut fossil fuel production
under the Kyoto accord. Under this same provision, if Canada
started selling its water to the United States--which President
Bush has already said he considers to be part of the United States'
continental energy program--the State Department would consider it
to be a trade violation if Canada tried to turn off the tap. And
under NAFTA's "investor state" Chapter 11 provision, American
corporate investors would be allowed to sue Canada for financial
losses [see William Greider, "The Right and US Trade Law:
Invalidating the 20th Century," October 15, 2001]. Already, a
California company is suing the Canadian government for $10.5
billion because the province of British Columbia banned the
commercial export of bulk water.


Because I care,
|<+]::-)  (Cyberpope(the Bishop of ROM!))


--- PPoint 1.76