This article seeks to assist potential users of the provisions of the Agreement Between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) to understand the multiple layers of review required for an issue to wend its way through the environmental review bodies.
NAFTA is out. USMCA is in. Just before the September 30 deadline to submit the full text of the new US-MX trade pact to Congress, Canada was able to agree to updated terms and sign on to the deal, narrowly preserving the tri-lateral trade agreement that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Many new technologies have erupted in the last 24 years, so sure, NAFTA was due for an update. Ecommerce has certainly also sparked the need for a facelift. But modernized provisions for certification of origin (which is how countries determine which shipments qualify for duty-free status) may lead to…
