So why is Senator Wyden bothering to circulate a petition requesting climate change action?

[eridani]

Given that he is promoting TPP, which will give corporations the power to sue governments over any climate change legislation that threatens their profits.

Leaked text from the deal shows that the TPP, if signed into law, would give foreign fossil fuel corporations the right to sue city, state and national governments if climate action hurts their profits.

It’s an enormous corporate power grab: any time we took action to keep carbon in the ground -- like by banning fracking, or stopping a pipeline, or putting a price on carbon pollution -- the fossil fuel industry could sue for the right to dig it right back out and sell it.

I called him at [phone] and left an answering machine message making that point.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Muddled thinking?

Or deliberate camouflage to help him get past criticism for his TPP support?

[LuvNewcastle]

2. This whole thing is just weird to me.

We've got a progressive Senator pimping this awful trade deal. The trade deal itself will ensure that no action is taken on climate change. Who is getting paid and how much?

[okaawhatever]

5. Not true. The TPP has environmental protections. We'll have to wait and see how strong they are. nt

[eridani]

6. Going by past history, we already know that they will suck n/t

[Jim Lane]

3. Has Wyden endorsed TPP, or just the TPA compromise?

TPA (fast track) is a bad idea and would certainly facilitate TPP, but they are logically distinct.

Some DUers were down on Wyden for agreeing to a compromise on TPA. I don't think it's that clear. He was facing a push for fast track from the coalition of McConnell-Obama-Boehner (the MOB). He had to worry that, with so much political power, the MOB would be able to get its preferred version of fast track enacted even over his opposition. He cut a deal in which the MOB agreed to allow somewhat more review time than would have been available under the original proposal. Down the road, this might prove to be the difference in defeating the MOB on the TPP deal itself.

Regardless of whether Wyden's tactical judgment on fast track was correct, his support for the compromise on fast track doesn't commit him to voting with the MOB on the TPP. Has he taken a public position on the underlying deal yet?

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Ron is my Senator, I think he is prone to support a trade deal he thinks is good, much more prone

to do so than say, Hillary who people here are sure votes for them all. He was a yes on CAFTA, for example. He's going to have a tough time of it with the voters after this.

[randome]

4. You don't understand that aspect of the trade agreement.

A corporation can sue a country if that country deliberately enacts laws or regulations to keep out foreign competition. A country can make all the environmental and safety laws they want so long as those laws apply equally to their own companies and to foreign ones.

It's similar to stopping onerous tariffs that only lead to trade wars.

Sound better?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[eridani]

7. Wrong--they can sue anyone for making laws that restrict their profits

Domestic and foreign fossil fuel companies are on the same side--against people and the environment. There is no such thing as an environmental law that doesn't apply to all polluters.

[Agony]

8. He's building his mailing list...

after I sign one of these petitions I start getting fundraising "issues" emails…

When you "sign" the petition, misspell your name and then see where it shows up.

[joshcryer]

10. The US has never lost an ISDS arbitration.

TPP is bad for the environment because it's intellectual property provisions don't allow for equitable tech sharing. It stacks environmental resources in the US's favor.