The 13th council session of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation convened Wednesday in Washington.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson said the organization was created by Canada, Mexico and the United States to strengthen environmental policy and collaboration across North America.
During Wednesday's meeting, Johnson, Mexican Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, Canadian Environment Minister Rona Ambrose and other officials formally endorsed a new strategic approach to the management of chemicals in North America.
The delegation also reviewed progress on implementation of the CEC's five-year strategic plan. Those projects include efforts to promote the North American renewable energy market and to produce guidelines for assessing the risk from invasive alien species.
U.S. EPA officials said the CEC partnership complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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