Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
•
develop early notification procedures to identify problems or sources of
controversy to residents or government agencies in the border region;
•
establish procedures to cooperatively respond to emergencies that could cause
environmental harm or damage; and
•
cooperate in the development of environmental information, including
education, training, and technical support.
The ECA between British Columbia and Washington outlines the operations
necessary to address the numerous transboundary environmental issues. It serves
to guide the International Task Forces - or lead agencies if no task forces exist -
in their work. One telling component of the MOU is the commitment to resolve
disputes or conflicts at the lowest possible staff level. The ground-up approach
attempts to “ensure the rapid resolution of disagreements before negative impacts
on the environment or economy occur” (ECC, 2013). If the issue is not resolved
at this lower level, however, a plan is in place for the involvement of senior
management to achieve resolution. This initial deferment of responsibility to
subnational scales of governance is indicative of broader trends of devolution found
throughout the region.
Nearly a decade after the enactment of the British Columbia-Washington
ECC, the Pacific region saw the creation of two other state-provincial agreements:
the British Columbia-Montana agreement and British Columbia-Idaho agree-
ment. These provincial-state agreements, solidified in 2002 when Premier Campbell
signed agreements with the respective governors of Idaho (Kempthorne) and
Montana (Martz), are part of the growing trend of subnational governance of
transboundary water resources. However, the success of these agreements varies
from issue to region (see, for example, Locke and McKinney 2013 for a discussion
on the Flathead MOU). To date, there is no binational environmental agreement
between Alaska and British Columbia - a noticeable absence, given the presence
of emerging environmental concerns related to potential mining activity in the
Taku River Watershed (see Rivers without Borders, 2013).
The regional allegiances have “scaled up” in recent years to form the Pacific
Coast Collaborative, which includes the states of California, Oregon, Washington,
Alaska, and the province of British Columbia. This Collaborative, signed in June
2008 by governmental leaders of the five jurisdictions, is:
[T]he first agreement that brings together the Pacific leaders as a common
front to set a cooperative direction into the Pacific Century. Out of this
agreement was born the Pacific Coast Collaborative - a formal basis for
cooperative action, a forum for leadership and information sharing, and a
common voice on issues facing Pacific North America.
(Pacific Coast Collaborative, 2013)
The Pacific Coast Collaborative aims to tackle issues ranging from Global Climate
Change, Ocean Acidification, Green Energy, Regional Transportation (such as
Green Highways, Green Ports, Rail), to Sustainable Regional Economies. The
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