DALLAS--July 27, 2013: Robert Finn, President and CEO of RSR Corporation, operator of the most environmentally advanced secondary lead smelters in the United States, issued the following statement in response to an announcement by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation that CEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) has launched a call for information and comments on the first 20 years of NAFTA to inform an international discussion taking place 17--18 October 2013, in Washington, DC:
"The Commission for Environmental Cooperation's (CEC) announcement of a Washington, DC, forum on the effects of NAFTA is an excellent opportunity to continue the CEC's work on lead-acid battery recycling. It is my hope that including a discussion on battery exports during this event will prod the United States to do more to stop the appalling practice of domestic companies exporting used lead-acid batteries to Mexico to avoid our country's stricter environmental and worker safety laws.
Despite several independent studies and media reports exposing the dangers of some Mexican lead-acid battery recyclers, the United States government and many domestic environmental groups have not addressed battery exports. CEC's inclusion of the issue in their October meetings may be the wakeup call needed to start a wave of broader opposition and a critical step toward protecting the workers, communities and environment in which Mexican recyclers operate.
Inclusion of lead-acid batteries in the discussion logically builds on the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's (CEC) recent decision to fund a multi-year project to promote the environmentally sound management of spent lead-acid batteries in North America. According to the CEC, the guidelines to be developed under this project will identify best management practices at the operational level concerning the environmentally sound management of batteries and the recovery of materials, which will enhance the occupational health and safety conditions of workers in this industry and support the creation of green jobs."
