                        Charge Questions: NAC/GAC Meeting 
                                ~ APRIL  25, 2013~
                                  Washington, DC
                                     4/9/2013
Dear NAC & GAC Members,

During the 2012 annual CEC Council Session in New Orleans the Ministers announced several focused areas for the CEC.  One was a follow-up to the trilateral SEM Modernization Process.  The second is a commitment to greening the North American Economy and developing fewer but more strategic projects in the upcoming CEC Operational Plan and Budget.   

The EPA Administrator would like advice from the NAC & GAC on the following two topics: 
1) Advice on the SEM Modernization Process:  Background: Council instructed to establish new online tools to help with the preparation of a submission, monitoring and assessing SEM process implementation, and increasing public outreach to build awareness of the process.  Together these actions are expected to ensure that the public submission process remains a critical mechanism for facilitating public participation, supporting government transparency, and promoting the effective enforcement of environmental law in North America.  
   In 2012, the Council directed Party officials to work with the Secretariat and JPAC to do the following:
   * Establish an online SEM portal, by the 2013 Council Session, to assist members of the public in understanding the SEM process and preparing a SEM submission. 
   * Immediately track compliance with mandatory and target SEM deadlines and provide a report-out on compliance at the July 2013 Council Session (tracking was initiated immediately following the 2012 Council Session). 
   * Present longer-term monitoring and assessment (M&A) options for Council consideration at the 2013 Council Session. 
   * Develop and implement a long-term SEM public outreach strategy (note that although no deadline for action was specified work in this area is currently underway).   
   In support of the above Council directives, the U.S. would like advice from the NAC and GAC on the following three areas: 
      a. Review and comment on attached draft version of the SEM portal.  Note the JPAC's preliminary input on the portal is also attached. 
      b. Provide input on possible options for longer-term SEM process Monitoring & Assessment.  One idea being considered involves convening semi-annual, agenda-driven meetings of representatives of the Parties, the Secretariat and JPAC to identify and consider SEM issues.   
      c. Provide input on the development and implementation of a long-term SEM public outreach strategy.    												
2) Advice on the Draft CEC Operational Plan: Please review closely the Draft CEC Operational Plan. 
      a. Provide advice on how well all the projects meet the attached "project selection criteria" and "guidance from the Alt Reps to the working groups" who created the projects. 
      b. In particular provide advice on how successful the Operational Plan is in pursuing projects related to greening the North American Economy (i.e. projects focused on electronic waste, advancing on trilateral clean energy initiatives, and other specific economic integrated sectors in North America), this was a focus of the Environmental Minister's in New Orleans.
   Attachments: 1) SEM Portal daft 2) JPAC SEM Portal Comments 3) Draft Guidance from Alt. Reps to Working Groups 4) New Proposed Project Guidance 5) Project Selection Criteria.
