WEBVTT

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So it's good to be here, as always.

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Listening to the intro, I was like,
Is she talking about me?

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So I have some remarks

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and I know it's after lunch,
so I'll try and

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do my best to be to keep your attention.

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My remarks start off saying, Thank you.

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It's a pleasure to be here.

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But really it's exciting to be here.

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That's my point of view.

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We're finally really talking about trade
and climate and energy all at once.

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And so I really applaud CBP
and its focus on this.

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The time.

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The time is now.

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So I'd like to thank Customs and Border
Protection for convening this event

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and the Patent and Trademark Office
for providing this venue.

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As Deputy USTR,
I'm responsible for environment.

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It's my job to support and advance
the Biden-Harris

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administration's
trade and environment priorities.

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In fact, as mentioned, I've spent
a better part of my career in D.C.

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focused on the intersection
of trade and environment and climate

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and renewable energy
and the jobs the jobs they support.

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Over time, one trend

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I've witnessed is the growing role
of environmental stewardship

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and durable supply chains in our trade
policies and priorities.

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I'll note
that Ambassador Tai's very first speech

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as the USTR outlined a vision
for leveraging trade policy

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to protect the environment and tackle
the climate crisis.

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That is why I'm so happy to be her deputy
and support this work.

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The Biden-Harris administration is taking

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a whole of government approach
to environmental protection.

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That commitment bless you.

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That commitment is shown in USTR’s

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work to prioritize and advance
trade policies

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that support our environment
and our climate change goals.

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USTR maintains that leadership

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seeking to ensure our international trade

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and environmental policies
are mutually supportive.

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Trade done right. And I'll say it again.

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Trade done right
has the potential to improve

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social, economic and sustainable outcomes.

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Trade is an environmental issue
and environment is a trade issue.

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We cannot have a healthy
and robust economy

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without a healthy environment
in which workers live.

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This administration's commitment
to addressing

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environment and climate changes
through trade tools is supported

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by a number of outcomes
with trading partners around the world.

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For example,

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last year we demonstrated U.S.

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leadership
by working together with other World Trade

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Organization members
to achieve a groundbreaking agreement

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that decades long WTO fisheries
subsidies, negotiation.

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This included years of work
with Congress on a bipartisan basis

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and our stakeholders,

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and that partnership will endure
as we implement this agreement.

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We are proud to be among
the first WTO members to accept

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the WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies,
which is the first ever multilateral

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trade agreement with environmental
sustainability at its core.

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This agreement will help
support the livelihood of fishers

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and workers in the U.S. and globally.

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It will contribute to the sustainability
of fish stocks worldwide.

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Or, as I like to say,

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preserving marine wealth.

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It will also prohibit subsidies to those
engaged in illegal, unreported and

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unregulated fishing,

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subsidies for fishing overfished stocks,
and subsidies

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for fishing on the unrelated,
unregulated high seas.

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This agreement was a breakthrough after
more than two decades of negotiations.

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But it is not the last step.

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We will continue to work with our partners
at the WTO

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to seek additional ambitious disciplines
on harmful subsidies

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to protect our oceans,
protect our marine wealth, and protect

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our fisheries resources more broadly.

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At the WTO and other fora,
such as APAC and OECD,

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and in our bilateral
and regional engagements, the U.S.

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is providing leadership in areas
such as the circular economy.

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We are championing ways
to extend the life of goods and materials

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through re-use, repair, remanufacturing

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and recycling throughout our economy.

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This keeps products in use longer,

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decreases
demand for virgin resources, and lowers

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the overall environmental impact
and carbon footprint of products.

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USTR is focused

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on the role that trade and trade
facilitation,

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important to our friends
and customs, plays in enabling

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remanufacturing activities as a key
element of a more circular economy,

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which is likely top of mind
to many of you here.

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For example,
we recently hosted a remanufacturing

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focused event as part of the WTO Trade
and Environment Week,

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showcasing the role that trade can play
to enable remanufacturing.

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We know there is more to do and we'll
continue to work with our trading partners

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and our federal government partners
and stakeholders on this important topic.

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Addressing the climate crisis
and advancing sustainable trade policies

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requires a multifaceted approach

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with our trading partners
to tackle these challenges.

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We work together with trading partners
to capitalize on opportunities

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to decarbonize our global economy,
including through bilateral negotiations.

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For example,

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through the negotiations
for what we call a global steel,

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a global arrangement on sustainable steel
and aluminum, the U.S.

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and the EU are aiming to reach
an agreement to address both carbon

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intensity as well as global
steel and aluminum excess capacity.

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In these two energy intensive areas.

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In fact,
these two concepts are closely linked.

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Excess capacity, by its very nature
leads to excess emissions

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because it enables
excess production of steel and aluminum,

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which in turn takes more energy
and more emissions to produce.

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From the beginning, we,
the U.S., have been clear

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that we see the potential for a new trade
paradigm to address fundamental issues,

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carbon intensity
and on market excess capacity

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to address
the serious threat that market distortions

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pose to workers,
producers and our climate.

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USTR is working

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with government counterparts, industry
and stakeholders

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to develop an innovative approach to trade
in these sectors and will incentivize

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industrial decarbonization
through a market based approach.

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We are also advancing a green trade agenda

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in the Indo-Pacific region.

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President Biden launched the Indo-Pacific
economic framework, or what we refer to

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as IPEC or excuse me, IPEF in May of 2022

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and negotiations are have been underway.

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IPEF is a trade agreement with more
than a dozen partners in the region

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that will advance commitments
for environmental protection

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and sustainability

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in the IPEF trade pillar.

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That's trade jargon.

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We use the word pillars in the IPEF trade
pillar negotiations.

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We are pursuing an ambitious set
of environmental provisions

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containing commitments and initiatives
that will respond

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to our common sustainability challenges,
including climate change.

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We are building on previous
trade agreements

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and seeking to break new ground,
such as on issues like climate and trade.

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Resource efficient and circular economies.

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Renewable energy and clean energy
technology and sustainable finance.

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We are

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working to create enabling environments

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in our trading partners
economies to tackle these issues head on.

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We expect the commitments in these areas
will have both direct

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and indirect impacts on climate change
and environmental protection.

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But we are not focused only on new trade
agreements and new outcomes.

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As my colleagues at CBP know well,

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enforcing the commitments of our existing
trade agreements is essential.

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It's paramount.

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It lends credibility
because when we're credible,

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we're incredible

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to ensure our environment is protected in
our supply.

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Chains are resilient and sustainable.

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The recently negotiated United
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, USMCA,

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which was negotiated in the past
on a bipartisan, bicameral basis,

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included groundbreaking
environmental provisions.

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And I want to just emphasize
the bipartisan, bicameral

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I was in the Senate at the time

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managing this bill.

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We got 89 votes, and it's pretty hard to

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when you have 89 votes in the Senate,
something must be going right.

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And we got 89 votes for the USMCA
and 90% of the votes

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in the House voted for us.

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That's how important it is
and how things have changed

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a lot over the last 20 years.

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You know, 25 years ago,
the conversation of our environment

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as part of a trade agreement
was a bit controversial for some.

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Today, it's accepted and understood.

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So the environment chapter

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in the USMCA brought environment
into the core provisions

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of the trade agreement
and made them enforceable,

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just like the commercial provisions
are enforceable.

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USTR is actively monitoring Canada

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and Mexico's implementation
of that chapter.

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For example, in 2022, we requested

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the first ever environment consultations
with the government of Mexico.

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These consultations

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related on the protection
of critically endangered

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species like the vaquita
and the totoaba and illegal fishing.

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Since the initiation
of these consultations,

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we've been working with Mexico
to develop a plan of action.

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We were just Ambassador Ty
and I were just in Cancun

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meeting with our colleagues on USMCA

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and on on this topic.

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The plan that we have put
forward will enhance Mexico's

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enforcement of its fisheries
related environmental laws

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and implementation
of its USMCA environmental commitments.

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So we're not imposing

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new laws on Mexico.

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We're trying to help Mexico
enforce its own laws.

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We are hopeful
that Mexico will soon agree to a plan,

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given
the urgent nature of the issue at stake.

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If you don't know about the Vaquita issue,

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you can Google it
and see that it's a very dire situation.

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Additionally,
our ongoing work with Vietnam,

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including through implementation
of the innovative bilateral U.S.

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Vietnam timber agreement,
this agreement is another example

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of the way
in which we have sought to use trade tools

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to cooperate with trading partners
to address environmental concerns,

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including combating illegal deforestation.

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Illegally harvested timber
not only harms the environment

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and depletes natural resources,
but also disadvantages

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workers and businesses who use lawful

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and sustainable means to make their goods.

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Having worked for members of Congress
in the Pacific Northwest, where, you know,

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timber is a very important issue
and the mills really matter.

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Our mills should not have to compete
with stalwart with stolen timber

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or process wood, um, that was illegally
harvested over overseas.

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It's just an unfair trade issue,
but it's also bad for the environment.

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Um, so

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USTR, with respect to Vietnam, worked
to secure an agreement that addresses U.S.

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concerns and the Vietnam timber issue.

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We started what was called
is called a Section 3.1 investigation.

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It was the first real one investigation
to address environmental concerns.

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And the timber agreement will help
keep illegally harvested

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or traded timber out of the supply chain
and protect the environment.

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Our natural resources and our jobs.

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We achieved a number of important
commitments,

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including customs inspections
and clearance verification, enforcement

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measures and cooperation,
which is key between the U.S.

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and Vietnam to combat the harvest
and trade of illegal timber.

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This is another example
of the administration's commitment

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to taking action to address
serious environmental concern

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using our trade tools.

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These actions just represent

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some of the work we are doing at USTR.

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We could not do this work
without our interagency partners,

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including CBP and stakeholders
and industry partners

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who are also working to combat
the climate crisis,

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protect the environment and create secure,

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durable and green supply chains.

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As Ambassador Ty says,
our collective climate

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and environmental challenges
require a collective solution.

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I know everyone in this room

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is working to advance solutions

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to green our supply chains
and protect our environment.

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And before I conclude,

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when I meet with my counterparts,
whether it's in the Western Hemisphere

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or it's Europe or it's the Middle East,
and I talk about environment,

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one of the things I say
is that we share oceans,

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we share seas, we share marine wealth,
and we share the air.

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And so working on this issue
and using every measure we can

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in my part on trade is imperative.

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So I want to thank you again
for the chance to share our ongoing work

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at USTR in this area,
and I look forward to our partnership.

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Thank you.