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Paragraphs in "North American Agreement On Environmental Cooperation" coded as HOBS

Label Provision
Art.8 Article 8: The Commission
Art.8.1 1. The Parties hereby establish the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
Art.8.2 2. The Commission shall comprise a Council, a Secretariat and a Joint Public Advisory Committee.
Sect.A Section A: The Council
Art.9 Article 9: Council Structure and Procedures
Art.9.1 1. The Council shall comprise cabinet-level or equivalent representatives of the Parties, or their designees.
Art.9.2 2. The Council shall establish its rules and procedures.
Art.9.3 3. The Council shall convene:
Art.9.3.a (a) at least once a year in regular session; and
Art.9.3.b (b) in special session at the request of any Party.
Art.9.3.b.ix Regular sessions shall be chaired successively by each Party.
Art.9.4 4. The Council shall hold public meetings in the course of all regular sessions. Other meetings held in the course of regular or special sessions shall be public where the Council so decides.
Art.9.5 5. The Council may:
Art.9.5.a (a) establish, and assign responsibilities to, ad hoc or standing committees, working groups or expert groups;
Art.9.5.b (b) seek the advice of non-governmental organizations or persons, including independent experts; and
Art.9.5.c (c) take such other action in the exercise of its functions as the Parties may agree.
Art.9.6 6. All decisions and recommendations of the Council shall be taken by consensus, except as the Council may otherwise decide or as otherwise provided in this Agreement.
Art.9.7 7. All decisions and recommendations of the Council shall be made public, except as the Council may otherwise decide or as otherwise provided in this Agreement.
Art.10 Article 10: Council Functions
Art.10.1 1. The Council shall be the governing body of the Commission and shall:
Art.10.1.a (a) serve as a forum for the discussion of environmental matters within the scope of this Agreement;
Art.10.1.b (b) oversee the implementation and develop recommendations on the further elaboration of this Agreement and, to this end, the Council shall, within four years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, review its operation and effectiveness in the light of experience;
Art.10.1.c (c) oversee the Secretariat;
Art.10.1.d (d) address questions and differences that may arise between the Parties regarding the interpretation or application of this Agreement;
Art.10.1.e (e) approve the annual program and budget of the Commission; and
Art.10.1.f (f) promote and facilitate cooperation between the Parties with respect to environmental matters.
Art.10.2 2. The Council may consider, and develop recommendations regarding:
Art.10.2.a (a) comparability of techniques and methodologies for data gathering and analysis, data management and electronic data communications on matters covered by this Agreement;
Art.10.2.b (b) pollution prevention techniques and strategies;
Art.10.2.c (c) approaches and common indicators for reporting on the state of the environment;
Art.10.2.d (d) the use of economic instruments for the pursuit of domestic and internationally agreed environmental objectives;
Art.10.2.e (e) scientific research and technology development in respect of environmental matters;
Art.10.2.f (f) promotion of public awareness regarding the environment;
Art.10.2.g (g) transboundary and border environmental issues, such as the long-range transport of air and marine pollutants;
Art.10.2.h (h) exotic species that may be harmful;
Art.10.2.i (i) the conservation and protection of wild flora and fauna and their habitat, and specially protected natural areas;
Art.10.2.j (j) the protection of endangered and threatened species;
Art.10.2.k (k) environmental emergency preparedness and response activities;
Art.10.2.l (1) environmental matters as they relate to economic development;
Art.10.2.m (m) the environmental implications of goods throughout their life cycles;
Art.10.2.n (n) human resource training and development in the environmental field;
Art.10.2.o (o) the exchange of environmental scientists and officials;
Art.10.2.p (p) approaches to environmental compliance and enforcement;
Art.10.2.q (q) ecologically sensitive national accounts;
Art.10.2.r (r) eco-labelling; and
Art.10.2.s (s) other matters as it may decide.
Art.10.3 3. The Council shall strengthen cooperation on the development and continuing improvement of environmental laws and regulations, including by:
Art.10.3.a (a) promoting the exchange of information on criteria and methodologies used in establishing domestic environmental standards; and
Art.10.3.b (b) without reducing levels of environmental protection, establishing a process for developing recommendations on greater compatibility of environmental technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures in a manner consistent with the NAFTA.
Art.10.4 4. The Council shall encourage:
Art.10.4.a (a) effective enforcement by each Party of its environmental laws and regulations;
Art.10.4.b (b) compliance with those laws and regulations; and
Art.10.4.c (c) technical cooperation between the Parties.
Art.10.5 5. The Council shall promote and, as appropriate, develop recommendations regarding:
Art.10.5.a (a) public access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities of each Party, including information on hazardous materials and activities in its communities, and opportunity to participate in decision-making processes related to such public access; and
Art.10.5.b (b) appropriate limits for specific pollutants, taking into account differences in ecosystems.
Art.10.6 6. The Council shall cooperate with the NAFTA Free Trade Commission to achieve the environmental goals and objectives of the NAFTA by:
Art.10.6.a (a) acting as a point of inquiry and receipt for comments from non-governmental organizations and persons concerning those goals and objectives;
Art.10.6.b (b) providing assistance in consultations under Article 1114 of the NAFTA where a Party considers that another Party is waiving or derogating from, or offering to waive or otherwise derogate from, an environmental measure as an encouragement to establish, acquire, expand or retain an investment of an investor, with a view to avoiding any such encouragement;
Art.10.6.c (c) contributing to the prevention or resolution of environment-related trade disputes by:
Art.10.6.c.i (i) seeking to avoid disputes between the Parties,
Art.10.6.c.ii (ii)making recommendations to the Free Trade Commission with respect to the avoidance of such disputes, and
Art.10.6.c.iii (iii) identifying experts able to provide information or technical advice to NAFTA committees, working groups and other NAFTA bodies;
Art.10.6.d (d) considering on an ongoing basis the environmental effects of the NAFTA; and
Art.10.6.e (e) otherwise assisting the Free Trade Commission in environment-related matters.
Art.10.7 7. Recognizing the significant bilateral nature of many transboundary environmental issues, the Council shall, with a view to agreement between the Parties pursuant to this Article within three years on obligations, consider and develop recommendations with respect to:
Art.10.7.a (a) assessing the environmental impact of proposed projects subject to decisions by a competent government authority and likely to cause significant adverse transboundary effects, including a full evaluation of comments provided by other Parties and persons of other Parties;
Art.10.7.b (b) notification, provision of relevant information and consultation between Parties with respect to such projects; and
Art.10.7.c (c) mitigation of the potential adverse effects of such projects.
Art.10.8 8. The Council shall encourage the establishment by each Party of appropriate administrative procedures pursuant to its environmental laws to permit another Party to seek the reduction, elimination or mitigation of transboundary pollution on a reciprocal basis.
Art.10.9 9. The Council shall consider and, as appropriate, develop recommendations on the provision by a Party, on a reciprocal basis, of access to and rights and remedies before its courts and administrative agencies for persons in another Party's territory who have suffered or are likely to suffer damage or injury caused by pollution originating in its territory as if the damage or injury were suffered in its territory.
Sect.B Section B: The Secretariat
Art.19 Article 19: Official Languages
Art.19.1x The official languages of the Commission shall be English, French and Spanish. All annual reports under Article 12, reports submitted to the Council under Article 13, factual records submitted to the Council under Article 15(6) and panel reports under Part Five shall be available in each official language at the time they are made public. The Council shall establish rules and procedures regarding interpretation and translation.
Part.4 PART FOUR