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and activities in its communities, and opportunity to participate in decision-making processes related to such public access; and
- (b) appropriate limits for specific pollutants, taking into account differences in ecosystems.
6. The Council shall cooperate with the NAFTA Free Trade Commission to achieve the environmental goals and objectives of the NAFTA by:
- (a) acting as a point of inquiry and receipt for comments from non-governmental organizations and persons concerning those goals and objectives;
- (b) providing assistance in consultations under Article 1114 of the NAFTA where a Party considers that another Party is waiving or derogating from, or offering to waive or otherwise derogate from, an environmental measure as an encouragement to establish, acquire, expand or retain an investment of an investor, with a view to avoiding any such encouragement;
- (c) contributing to the prevention or resolution of environment-related trade disputes by:
- (i) seeking to avoid disputes between the Parties,
- (ii) making recommendations to the Free Trade Commission with respect to the avoidance of such disputes, and
- (iii) identifying experts able to provide information or technical advice to NAFTA committees, working groups and other NAFTA bodies;
- (d) considering on an ongoing basis the environmental effects of the NAFTA; and
- (e) otherwise assisting the Free Trade Commission in environment-related matters.
7. Recognizing the significant bilateral nature of many transboundary environmental issues, the Council shall, with a view to agreement between the Parties pursuant to this Article within three years on obligations, consider and develop recommendations with respect to:
- (a) assessing the environmental impact of proposed projects subject to decisions by a competent government authority and likely to cause significant adverse transboundary effects, including a full evaluation of comments provided by other Parties and persons of other Parties;
- (b) notification, provision of relevant information and consultation between Parties with respect to such projects; and
- (c) mitigation of the potential adverse effects of such projects.
