forbidden words: CEC – Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC; Spanish: Comisión para la Cooperación Ambiental; French: Commission de coopération environnementale) is an intergovernmental organization established by Canada, Mexico, and the United States to implement the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side accord to the North American Free Trade Agreement. The CEC’s mission is to facilitate cooperation and public participation to foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment for the benefit of present and future generations, in the context of increasing economic, trade and social connections among Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In January 2026, US president Trump announced that the United States ‘shall withdraw’ from the GCF and 65 other institutions.^[1]

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation was created in 1994 by Canada, Mexico and the United States, under the NAAEC.^[2] The NAAEC was implemented in parallel to the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and complements NAFTA’s environmental provisions. It signified a commitment that liberalization of trade and economic growth in North America would be accompanied by collaboration and continuous improvement in the environmental protection provided by each of the three signatory countries. In part, the NAAEC was driven by the desire of the United States to mitigate public concern about the impact of trade liberalization on environmental protection in the three countries, particularly Mexico.

The CEC is the first international environmental organization created in parallel with a trade agreement and is the sole organization with a mandate to monitor and report upon the impact of trade on the environment of North America.

The CEC is composed of the Council, the Secretariat and the Joint Public Advisory Committee.^[3]

The Council is the CEC’s governing body and is composed of the highest-level federal environmental authorities from Canada, Mexico, and the United States: the Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Mexican Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), and the Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The Council meets at least once a year, including with the public, to set the CEC’s overall direction, including its budget and activities. It assigns responsibilities, if needed, to committees, working groups or expert groups, as may be required to fulfill its mandate.

CEC Council Members
Country	Representative	Title
Canada	Steven Guilbeault	Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mexico	Alicia Bárcena	Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
United States	Michael S. Regan	Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

 

The CEC Secretariat is headquartered in Montreal. The Secretariat implements several projects under the operational plan authorized by the Council and processes submissions on enforcement matters.

The Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) is composed of fifteen citizens (five from each country). JPAC advises the Council on any matter within the scope of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and serves as a source of information for the CEC Secretariat.

As a group of volunteer citizens, JPAC is a microcosm of the public: independent individuals who contribute diverse but rich institutional experience and cultural perspectives.

In addition, in 2015 the CEC established a Roster of Experts on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) whose mandate it is to identify opportunities to apply TEK to the CEC’s operations and policy recommendations. This is an innovative mechanism and the first traditional ecological knowledge panel to be named to a trilateral organization such as the CEC. In July 2017, the group was re-christened the “TEK Expert Group” and now reports directly to the CEC Council.

The CEC’s cooperative agenda is defined through the Strategic Plan. The current CEC Strategic Plan 2015–2020 identifies three areas of priority action for the CEC: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Green Growth, and Sustainable Communities and Ecosystems.

Two-year Operational Plans present how the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan will be implemented through project activities and key initiatives, and specify the budget for the Commission. Operational Plans are updated biennially.

In 2010, the CEC established a grant program, the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) to support communities in their efforts to address environmental problems locally. NAPECA is intended to support a flexible and diverse set of project types that will improve access to resources provided by the Parties through the CEC for smaller, more hands-on organizations and that build partnerships at the community level with a focus on sustainable communities and urban initiatives.

The CEC’s online publications library provides the public with easy access to its large body of published work on environmental policy and research in North America.

The North American PRTR Project involves the compilation and dissemination of information on the sources, amounts and handling of toxic substances released or transferred by over 35,000 industrial facilities in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, based on data reported to the pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) of each country. The main products of this project are Taking Stock Online: a website featuring information and a searchable database of integrated, North American PRTR data and the annual Taking Stock report.

The Taking Stock Online tool allows the user to explore information on pollution from industrial facilities across North America. Summary charts and customized queries can be created and the analysis results downloaded in a variety of formats, including kml files for viewing through Google Earth.

Created through the cooperation of three national agency partners, the North American Environmental Atlas combines harmonized data from Canada, Mexico and the United States to allow for a continental and regional perspective on environmental issues that cross boundaries. The Atlas continues to grow in breadth and depth as more thematic maps are created through the work of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and its partners. Scientists and map makers from Natural Resources Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, and other agencies in each country produced the information contained in the Atlas. The collection of viewable maps, data, and downloadable map files is available online without cost.

see more at — Wikipedia contributors. (2026b, January 8). Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Wikipedia.

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Commission for Environmental Cooperation at cec.org

Their tagline: Three countries working together to protect our shred environment.
International collaboration between Canada, Mexico and the United States on environmental issues of common interest

see — cec.org

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Other meanings for the acronym CEC

In the absence of specificity for the acronym “CEC” – Commission for Environmental Cooperation made sense for where it is placed along with other climate-related words on PEN’s Banned Word List. However, below is a list of other possible censored candidates:

Council for Exceptional Children

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. CEC is known as THE source for information, resources, and professional development for special educators.

CEC has local Units in all 50 states and Canada, as well as 18 optional Special Interest Divisions focused on a specific topic, specialty area, role, or exceptionality. We also have CEC Student Chapters at hundreds of colleges and universities.

from — About us. (n.d.). Council for Exceptional Children. 

Congressional Equality Caucus

Mission

The mission of the caucus is to work for LGBTQI+ rights, the repeal of laws discriminatory against LGBTQI+ persons, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and improved health and well-being for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.^[4] The caucus serves as a resource for members of Congress, their staffs, and the public on LGBTQI+ issues.^[4] Unlike the Congressional Black Caucus, famous for admitting only Black members, the Equality Caucus admits any member of Congress who is willing to advance LGBTQI+ rights, regardless of their sexual identity or orientation. Historically, the caucus is co-chaired by every openly-LGBTQI+ member of Congress.

see more at — Wikipedia contributors. (2026b, January 8). Congressional Equality Caucus. 

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from the Congressional Equality Caucus

CEC Condemns Trump’s Anti-LGBTQI+ Education Order

Washington, DC — Today, Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) made the following statement after President Trump issued an Executive Order targeting LGBTQI+ education and students:

“As a former teacher, I’m appalled by Donald Trump’s attempt to use the federal government to censor LGBTQI+ voices and stories in our schools and make LGBTQI+ students less safe,” said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “Every student deserves to be respected at school and receive an honest education, free from discrimination. America was founded on the principles of free speech, free expression, and freedom from government censorship, but President Trump doesn’t care about any of that. All he wants is to attack LGBTQI+ people—maybe to distract the public from the chaos his Administration is wreaking across the country.”

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Founded in 2008, the Congressional Equality Caucus is dedicated to promoting equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, including intersex traits. The Caucus is strongly committed to achieving the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTQI+ people in the U.S. and around the world.

from — CEC condemns Trump’s Anti-LGBTQI+ education order | Congressional Equality Caucus. (2025, January 30). Congressional Equality Caucus. 

California Energy Commission

The California Energy Commission is leading the state to a 100 percent clean energy future for all. As the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency, the Energy Commission plays a critical role in creating the energy system of the future – one that is clean, is modern, and ensures the fifth largest economy in the world continues to thrive.

50 Years of Energy Leadership: California’s Clean Energy Progress

For 50 years, the California Energy Commission has been a driving force in shaping a vision of a clean energy future, setting the standard on efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy. Over the decades, we’ve made tremendous strides toward that future. Here’s how it all started. 

from — California Energy Commission. (n.d.). About. 

Community Education Councils

New York City Public Schools

January 8th, 2025
Hudson Valley, New York

This is one of the words/ phrases you can’t say in the new Trump Regime. See a comprehensive list at the Forbidden Words Project.

image: ocean charm © Holly Troy 2025

Our list is most assuredly incomplete. The New York Times published a list of words flagged by federal agencies to ban, limit, or avoid. Additional terms were reported by Politico, Reuters, The Washington Post, Propublica, Science, Gizmodo, 404 Media, Popular Information, Politico’s E&E News and the nonprofit news outlet More Perfect Union. These have been aggregated into a single list, below, which also reflects guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, NASA, the National Cancer Institute, the National Security Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the White House itself.

from — Connelly, E. A. (2025, December 22). Federal Government’s Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship. PEN America.