May 19, 1998
(Executive Council)

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Environmental, trade and energy issues will be at the forefront of the 1998 Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, taking place in Fredericton, June 7-9.

The conference is an inter-regional, bi-national organization, established in 1973 in recognition of the special bond that exists between the jurisdictions involved. Ideas are shared and policy resolutions are enacted among state governors and provincial premiers. This year marks the 25th anniversary of this co-operative relationship.

Conference sessions will focus on the environment, energy and trade. The environment session will include a presentation of the work of the Committee on the Environment related to acid rain and mercury. The committee received a mandate at the 1997 conference in Rhode Island to develop action plans for the region on these pollutants.

During the session on energy, participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences and lessons learned in the wake of the January 1998 ice storm which affected a large part of the region.

Guest speakers for the trade session include Raymond Chretien, Canadian ambassador to the United States, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin. The ambassadors will share perspectives on trade liberalization.

New England representation at the conference includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, while the Canadian side is represented by Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick.

While in Fredericton, Premier Tobin will focus on energy issues. He will deliver a presentation on the Churchill River Hydro Development and present a report on the energy market in the northeastern region.

Contact: Heidi Bonnell, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3564.

1998 05 19                                       5:30 p.m.