States Eye Bills To Protect 'Green' Purchases From Trade Pacts

Backed by environmental and labor groups, lawmakers in a slew of states are seeking to limit governors' ability to back procurement provisions in international trade pacts, in part because of concerns that the treaties limit states' ability to set environmental conditions in their procurement policies, sources say. The effort comes after the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) last month rejected a call by state legislators to include them in consultations on future trade agreements. Lawmakers in California, Maine, Maryland, Tennessee, Vermont...