WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With less than 48 hours left in the Clinton administration, the U.S. Trade Representative's office Thursday said it had initiated a study of the possible environmental impact of potential new trade agreements covering services and agriculture.
Members of the 140-nation World Trade Organization have been meeting in Geneva over the past year for preliminary talks that could lead to new trade agreements in both areas. The United States has major interests in the negotiations.
"It is critical that we understand the range of environmental implications as we go forward," U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said in a statement.
"An environmental review will help trade negotiators craft an agreement that it is both good for trade and good for the environment," she said.
The study, which would be up to the incoming Bush administration to complete, will examine both the negative and positive effects the trade pacts could have on the environment, Barshefsky said.
In the area of agriculture, Barshefsky has often argued that eliminating export subsidies would be a boon for the environment because it would discourage planting on marginal land.
Most Democrats favor protections for the environment and workers in trade pacts. Most Republicans worry such provisions could impede trade if the United States uses sanctions to punish violators.
The United States has previously conducted environmental reviews of the major trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and the 1994 Uruguay Round trade pact that create the WTO, USTR said.:
