« Brazil Needs to Retool its Energy Efficiency Efforts in Industry | Home | Modificar la Norma Andina sobre Plaguicidas »
Is Chile Ready?
By Keith R | August 30, 2009
Topics: Chemicals, Environmental Governance, Hazardous Substances, Waste & Recycling | No Comments »
According to the blog of the University of Chile’s Environmental Law Center (DCA), Environment Minister Ana Lya Uriarte assured them the other day that Chile is ready to assume all the environmental standard commitments that will come with its membership, currently under negotiation, in the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She pointed confidently to the OECD reviews of Chile’s environment policy, and the “re-design” of its environment institutions represented by the bill pending in Congress.
While a good start, it is just a start. OECD membership brings more with it than policy reviews and institutional upgrades. New members to the OECD commit to reflect existing and new OECD Council Decisions in their national legislation [OECD Decisions are considered binding for OECD member states]. In the environment field there are several, most of them associated with chemicals or waste:
- Decision C(81)30/Final [as amended by C(97)186/FINAL (Annex II)] – Mutual Acceptance of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals*
- Decision C(82)196/Final – Minimum Pre-Marketing Set of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals
- Decision-Recommendation C83(180) – Transfrontier Movements of Hazardous Waste
- Decision-Recommendation C(86)84 – Exports of Hazardous Wastes from the OECD Area
- Decision-Recommendation C87(2) – Further Measures for the Protection of the Environment by Control of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
- Decision-Recommendation C(87)90/Final – Systematic Investigation of Existing Chemicals
- Decision C(88)84/Final – Exchange of Information concerning Accidents Capable of Causing Transfrontier Damage
- Decision-Recommendation C(88)85 – Provision of Information to the Public and Public Participation in Decision-making Processes related to the Prevention of, and Response to, Accidents Involving Hazardous Substances
- Decision C(88)90/Final [as amended by C(94)152/Final] – Transfrontier Movements of Hazardous Wastes
- Decision-Recommendation C(89)87 – Compliance with Principles of Good Laboratory Practice
- Decision-Recommendation C(90)163 – Co-operative Investigation and Risk Reduction of Existing Chemicals
- Decision-Recommendation C(90)178 – Reduction of Transfrontier Movements of Wastes
- Decision C(97)114/FINAL – Adherence of non-Member Countries to the Council Acts related to the Mutual Acceptance of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals
- Decision C(2001)107/Final [as amended by C(2004)20] – Control of Transboundary Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations
I haven’t checked the minutae of Chilean law recently, but last I looked, it wasn’t quite aligned with the related OECD instruments on waste trade or chemicals.
The OECD also has many Recommendations in the environment field. While not binding, many of them — such as the on detergents — are widely observed by member states. The related Recommendations include:
- Recommendation C(2006)84 – Good Practices for Public Environmental Expenditure Management
- Recommendation C(2004)100 – Environmentally Sound Management of Waste
- Recommendation C(2004)81 – Use of Economic Instruments in Promoting the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity
- Recommendation C(2004)80 – Assessment and Decision-Making for Integrated Transport and Environment Policy
- Recommendation C(2004)79 – Material Flows and Resource Productivity
- Recommendation C(2003)221 – Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response
- Recommendation C(2002)3 – Improving the Environmental Performance of Public Procurement
- Recommendation C(98)67 – Environmental Information
- Recommendation C(96)41 – Implementing Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers
- Recommendation C(96)39 – Improving the Environmental Performance of Government
- Recommendation C(92)114 – Integrated Coastal Zone Management
- Recommendation C(90)177 – Use of Economic Instruments in Environmental Policy
- Recommendation C(90)165 – Environmental Indicators and Information
- Recommendation C(90)164 – Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
- Recommendation C(89)88 – Application of the Polluter-Pays Principle to Accidental Pollution
- Recommendation C(89)12 – Water Resource Management Policies: Integration, Demand Management, and Groundwater Protection
- Recommendation C(85)103 – Strengthening Noise Abatement Policies
- Recommendation C(85)102 – Environmentally Favorable Energy Options and their Implementation
- Recommendation C(85)101 – Control of Air Pollution from Fossil Fuel Combustion
- Recommendation C(84)37 – Information Exchange related to Export of Banned or Severely Restricted Chemicals
- Recommendation C(83)98 – OECD List of Non-Confidential Data on Chemicals
- Recommendation C(83)97 – Exchange of Confidential Data on Chemicals
- Recommendation C(83)96 – Protection of Proprietary Rights to Data submitted in Notifications of New Chemicals
- Recommendation C(81)32 – Certain Financial Aspects of Actions by Public Authorities to Prevent and Control Oil Spills
- Recommendation C(79)218 – Waste Paper Recovery
- Recommendation C(79)117 – Coal and the Environment
- Recommendation C(79)116 – The Assessment of Projects with Significant Impact on the Environment
- Recommendation C(79)115 – Environment and Tourism
- Recommendation C(79)114 – Reporting on the State of the Environment
- Recommendation C(78)77 – Strengthening International Co-operation on Environmental Protection in Frontier Regions
- Recommendation C(78)73 – Noise Abatement Policies
- Recommendation C(78)8 – Re-Use and Recycling of Beverage Containers
- Recommendation C(78)4 – Water Management Policies and Instruments
- Recommendation C(77)109 – Reduction of Environmental Impacts from Energy Use in the Household and Commercial Sectors
- Recommendation C(77)97 – Guidelines in Respect of Procedure and Requirements for Anticipating the Effects of Chemicals on Man and in the Environment
- Recommendation C(77)28 – Implementation of a Regime of Equal Right of Access and Non-Discrimination in Relation to Transfrontier Pollution
- Recommendation C(76)162 – The Reduction of Environmental Impacts from Energy Production and Use
- Recommendation C(76)161 – Principles concerning Coastal Management
- Recommendation C(76)155 – Comprehensive Waste Management Policy
- Recommendation C(76)55 – Equal Right of Access in Relation to Transfrontier Pollution
- Recommendation C(74)224 – Principles concerning Transfrontier Pollution
- Recommendation C(74)223 – Implementation of the Polluter-Pays Principle
- Recommendation C(74)221 – Strategies for Specific Water Pollutants Control
- Recommendation C(74)220 – Control of Eutrophication of Waters
- Recommendation C(74)218 – Traffic Limitation and Low-Cost Improvement of the Urban Environment
- Recommendation C(74)216 – Analysis of the Environmental Consequences of Significant Public and Private Projects
- Recommendation C(74)215 – Assessment of the Potential Environmental Effects of Chemicals
- Recommendation C(73)172 – Measures to Reduce all Man-Made Emissions of Mercury to the Environment
- Recommendation C(72)128 – Guiding Principles concerning International Economic Aspects of Environmental Policies
- Recommendation C(71)83 – Determination of the Biodegradability of Anionic Synthetic Surface Active Agents
_____________
* There are also a long list of amendments to the Decision regarding the addition of new testing guidelines and revision of existing guidelines:
- 26th May 1983 – Addendum 2 to C(81)30(Final) (6 new Guidelines)
- 4th April 1984 – Addendum 3 to C(81)30(Final) (15 new Guidelines)
- 7th June 1984 – Addendum 4 to C(81)30(Final) (1 new Guideline)
- 23th October 1986 – Addendum 5 to C(81)30(Final) (7 new Guidelines)
- 24th February 1987 – Addendum 6 to C(81)30(Final) (3 new Guidelines)
- 30th March 1989 – C(89)23(Final) (1 new Guideline)
- 17th July 1992 – C(92)102/FINAL (8 new Guidelines)
- 27th July 1995 – C(95)106/FINAL (11 new Guidelines)
- 22nd March 1996 – C(96)14/FINAL (2 new Guidelines)
- 17th June 1996 – C(96)58/FINAL (4 new Guidelines)
- 24 July 1997 – C(97)94/FINAL (8 new Guidelines)
- 10th September 1998 – C(98)142/FINAL (7 new Guidelines)
- 21st January 2000 – C(99)189/FINAL (5 new Guidelines)
- 22 January 2001 – C(2000)228 (1 new and 3 revised Guidelines)
- 17 December 2001 – C(2001)282 (3 revised Guidelines and 1 Guideline deleted)
- 24 April 2002 – C(2002)76 (3 new Guidelines and 2 revised Guidelines)
- 13 April 2004 – C(2004)28 (11 new Guidelines and 3 updated Guidelines)
- 23 March 2006 – C(2006)13 (4 new Guidelines and 3 updated Guidelines)
- 19 July 2006 – C(2006)101 (2 new Guidelines and 1 updated Guideline)
- 22 January 2007 – C(2006)169 (1 new Guideline and amendment to Section 5: Other Test Guidelines, Part A: Pesticide Residue Chemistry)
- 16 October 2007 – C(2007)107 (6 new Guidelines)
Tags: Ana Lya Uriarte, beverage containers, biodegradability, Biodiversity, CDA, chemical accidents, chemicals, Chile, coal, coastal management, coastal zone management, detergents, economic instruments, energy use, environment, eutrophication, existing chemicals, GLP, groundwater, hazardous waste, IPPC, medio ambiente, mercury, noise abatement, OCDE, OECD, oil spills, packaging, PCBs, polluter-pays principle, PRTR, public procurement, químicos, recycling, residuos peligrosos, tourism, transport, Universidad de Chile, urban environment, waste management, waste paper, water pollution
