NLIS 8
July 18, 2000
(Executive Council)

RESOLUTION 25-5
RESOLUTION CONCERNING UNIVERSITY STUDENT EXCHANGES

WHEREAS, there already exist some agreements between universities in the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces for the purpose of facilitating the exchange of undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty; and

WHEREAS, the value of exchanges has been recognized by its participants; and

WHEREAS, the need for international and multi-cultural education is rapidly growing;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers ask their respective university-level coordinating organizations (such as the New England Board of Higher Education, the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities (CREPUQ), and the Atlantic Association of Universities) to explore a significant expansion of university-level exchange programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the coordinating organizations report to the respective governors and premiers on objectives, targets, resources, and other relevant aspects of the expansion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT expanded university-level exchanges be an agenda item for the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in 2001.

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers is representative of the positive working relationships of the states and provinces; and

WHEREAS Canada and the United States have entered into a Free Trade Agreement to facilitate the free movement of goods, services and labour across our mutual border; and

WHEREAS recent trade promotion initiatives, including Team Atlantic Trade Missions, Co-Enterprise and Partnerships, have strengthened business relationships throughout the Northeast region; and

WHEREAS that the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers and our business communities recognize that an integrated regional approach to trade and investment would provide a positive impetus to the economic growth of the Northeast region;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers supports the intent of business leaders from the eleven states and provinces to establish a northeast business network to provide an ongoing mechanism for cooperation and business partnerships;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers encourages a northeast business network to meet and share ideas on ways to improve business opportunities in the Northeast and to provide recommendations through the Committee on Trade and Globalization of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in advance of the 2001 Conference.

RESOLUTION 25-8
RESOLUTION CONCERNING ACID RAIN PROJECTS

WHEREAS, state and provincial environmental agencies committed significant resources towards the continued implementation of the Acid Rain Action Plan; and

WHEREAS, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognize the role and support provided by Environment Canada and the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the implementation of regional acid rain projects; and

WHEREAS, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers received a report from its Committee on the Environment outlining progress to date, the major accomplishments, and the priorities for the coming year in reversing the acid rain deposition problem; and

WHEREAS, state and provincial environmental agencies have established a water monitoring network, a monitoring network for particulate matter and acid deposition, and a real-time for ozone monitoring network that will lead to the acquisition of accurate and reliable data in Northeastern North America; and

WHEREAS, two reports Is Nitrogen a Serious Issue? and Model Estimations of the Effect of SO₂ Emission Reductions on Regional Aquatic Chemistry and Biology in Eastern North America were produced and will provide valuable information to the scientific community in understanding critical issues pertaining to acid deposition in lakes and rivers throughout the region; and

WHEREAS, priorities for the coming year will focus on the exchange and merging of data collected from the various regional monitoring networks, the development of maps outlining trends and critical loads, communications and public outreach; and

WHEREAS, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers concur on the need to increase public awareness of the critical nature of acid rain and to communicate effectively its work in the area of acid rain; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers commend the Acid Rain Steering Committee and the technical work groups for their continued commitment in the implementation of the Acid Rain Action Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers acknowledge the support provided by Environment Canada and the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the implementation of the regional acid rain projects; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers impress on both federal governments the need to exercise a leadership role and continue commitments for further control strategies of sulfur and nitrogen emissions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopt the report submitted by its Committee on the Environment, outlining the major accomplishments and the priorities for the coming year; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers approve for publication and distribution the two reports Is Nitrogen a Serious Issue and Model Estimations of the Effect of SO₂ Emission Reductions on Regional Aquatic Chemistry and Biology in Eastern North America; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers direct its Committee on the Environment to develop a communications plan that will concentrate on increasing public awareness on the critical nature of acid rain and communicating its fine work in the area of acid rain; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Committee on the Environment, working with the secretariats, report on the progress of the implementation of the work plans at the next meeting of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

WHEREAS, climate change in the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces is largely a function of global warming caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, largely emitted by the burning of fossil fuels; and

WHEREAS, global warming poses a threat to fragile ecosystems, particularly to the New England and Eastern Canadian marine and forest ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, global warming impacts the environment and economy of the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces through changing ocean temperatures and currents, diminished forest health and productivity, increased drought in agricultural areas, more frequent severe storms, and storm surges driven by rising sea-levels; and

WHEREAS, our ability to understand, evaluate, and develop cost-effective reductions to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming depends upon collecting and maintaining accurate and reliable emissions data; and

WHEREAS, the present reality of climate change requires the development of adaptation initiatives in regards to infrastructure, natural resource management, social and economic policy; and

WHEREAS, a combination of regulation, public investment, innovative market mechanisms, and cultural change is required to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, the Province of New Brunswick has offered to host and organize a workshop on climate change;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers agrees that global warming, given its harmful consequences to the environment and the economy, is a joint concern for which a regional approach to strategic action is required; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference directs its Environment Committee and its Energy Committee, in collaboration with the Province of New Brunswick and the Premier�s Round Table on Environment and Economy, to:

hold a workshop in the winter of 2000-2001 to examine the regional impacts of global warming; to discuss options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and to clarify the need for this region to adapt to climate change and explore methods for doing so; and

evaluate the conclusions and recommendations of the workshop from a strategic and scientific viewpoint, and to present a summary of findings of the meeting and a recommended action plan to the 2001 annual meeting of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

WHEREAS, the implementation of national and local air pollution control strategies has failed to protect public health and environmental ecosystems in the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces; and

WHEREAS, it has been amply demonstrated that the long-range transport of air pollution from sources outside the region contributes to smog, acid rain, regional haze, estuarine eutrophication and mercury deposition in the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces; and

WHEREAS, recent efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide a measure of relief from the adverse effects of long-range air pollution transport have failed to provide meaningful reductions in transported air pollution; and

WHEREAS, the New England states are moving forward with the implementation of more stringent year-round emission controls on nitrogen oxides; and

WHEREAS, the Eastern Canadian provinces are moving forward with the implementation of the Post 2000 Canada Wide Acid Rain Strategy and the Canada Wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone; and

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers has adopted Acid Rain and Mercury work plans outlining priorities for the coming year;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers call upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada to intensify their efforts to implement effective emission reduction strategies targeting the upwind sources of the air pollution which is adversely impacting New England and Eastern Canada.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers direct the Committee on the Environment to move forward with its efforts in developing a communications strategy to enhance public understanding and action on the problem of transboundary air pollution.

RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE MERCURY ACTION PLAN

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers has received a report from its Committee on the Environment outlining progress to date, the major accomplishments, and the priorities for the coming year of the NEG/ECP Mercury Task Force; and

WHEREAS, mercury emissions from utility and non-utility boilers are a major source of mercury emissions in our two countries, and utility restructuring offers potential opportunities to reduce emissions from these sources; and

WHEREAS, the transport and deposition of mercury from outside our region is a major contributor to the health threat posed by this toxin in New England and Eastern Canada; and

WHEREAS, the uses of mercury in products are still widespread, and major segments of our population continue to be inadequately aware of the toxic effects of mercury;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers endorses the work of its Mercury Task Force and adopts the recommendations of its report; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers asks its Mercury Task Force to begin its development of jurisdictional strategies to reduce mercury emissions from boilers, in order to meet the reduction targets cited in the report of the Joint Boiler work group entitled "Technology Options and Recommendations for Reducing Mercury and Acid Rain Precursor Emissions from Boilers"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers directs its Mercury Task Force to assess the adequacy of the regional mercury monitoring and deposition modeling system, and make appropriate recommendations to the Conference at its next meeting; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers directs its Mercury Task Force to complete its Communications Strategy to address outreach, education and advocacy issues; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopts the report "Statement of the Draft Mercury Education and Reduction Programs", which presents policy concepts states and provinces can consider for use jointly or individually, and directs its Mercury Task Force to encourage coordinated action; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers directs its Mercury Task Force to review and identify any additional significant sources of mercury discharges into the environment, and to begin the development and implementation of recommended control strategies.

WHEREAS, the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces have close historical and economic ties in the energy sector and have long cooperated on energy matters; and

WHEREAS, changes currently underway in energy markets, including electric restructuring and development of new energy sources and infrastructure, will significantly impact the region; and

WHEREAS, recent fluctuations in gasoline and oil prices across North America have prompted jurisdictions to review storage capacities and shortage contingency measures; and

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers agrees that global warming, given its harmful consequences to the environment and the economy, is a joint concern for which a regional approach to strategic action is required;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference directs its Northeast International Committee on Energy (NICE) to continue to monitor developments in the energy markets; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference adopt a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy, Bill Richardson, recommending that the United States Department of Energy work with the NICE and the states and provinces to continue to develop and maintain an "open" integrated North American electricity market, and to clarify the treatment of large-scale hydro-electric power under federal electric restructuring legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the NICE will collaborate with the NEG/ECP Committee on the Environment, the Province of New Brunswick and the Premier�s Round Table on Environment and Economy to conduct a workshop in the winter of 2000-2001 to examine the regional impacts of global warming and regional options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The NICE will assist the NEG/ECP Committee on the Environment to:

- evaluate the conclusions and recommendations of the workshop from a strategic and scientific viewpoint, and

- present a summary of findings of the meeting and a recommended action plan to the 2001 annual meeting of the NEG/ECP; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the NICE Committee examine ways to encourage energy conservation, demand-side management programs, and the efficient use of energy in our region, and promote the development of new energy technologies; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT NICE continue to define and develop a graphical computerized database system of energy resources, infrastructure and information in the region, for use by policy makers, energy officials and the public for the region, and that NICE report back on the status of this effort at the next meeting of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT NICE prepare an informational report, for submission at the next Conference of Governors and Premiers, on key jurisdictional issues related to petroleum products storage capacity and infrastructure.

WHEREAS, the Governors and Premiers of Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick, New Hampshire and Nova Scotia established the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment in December 1989 as an organization to deal with marine environmental issues in an ecosystem approach without borders; and

WHEREAS, the Gulf of Maine Council continues to encourage collaboration of state, provincial, and federal partner agencies with other public and non-profit organizations, private industry and interested citizens on marine environmental issues; and

WHEREAS, the year 2000, in celebration of ten years of cooperation, has been designated the "Year of the Gulf of Maine";

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers congratulate The Gulf of Maine Council for the example that they have shown in working together to address issues of common concern in the protection and enhancement of the marine environment.

2000 07 18                 3:55 p.m.