Renegotiating NAFTA: Energy Opportunities and Challenges

In fulfillment of a campaign promise made by then-candidate Donald Trump, the administration has made preliminary steps to revisit the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On May 18th, 2017, Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, delivered a letter to Congress providing official notice of this intent. Despite attempts to move toward renegotiation, little is yet known about the administration’s plans, particularly as they relate to energy. Given the level of market integration and energy trade within North America, a renegotiated NAFTA could have major consequences for the region’s—and world’s—energy markets.

The CSIS Energy and National Security Program is pleased to host Andrew Shoyer, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP, David Pumphrey (senior associate with the CSIS Energy & National Security Program and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy); and Scott Miller (Senior Adviser and Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS) for a discussion on NAFTA’s renegotiation, the various and occasionally competing interests of North American energy players, and the impacts a new trade regime could have on the North American and global energy landscapes.