For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 13, 2001
Text of a Letter from the President to Senators Hagel, Helms, Craig, and Roberts
Thank you for your letter of March 6, 2001, asking for the
Administration's views on global climate change, in particular the
Kyoto Protocol and efforts to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean
Air Act. My Administration takes the issue of global climate
change very seriously.
As you know, I oppose the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts 80 percent
of the world, including major population centers such as China and
India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the U.S.
economy. The Senate's vote, 95-0, shows that there is a
clear consensus that the Kyoto Protocol is an unfair and ineffective
means of addressing global climate change concerns.
As you also know, I support a comprehensive and balanced national
energy policy that takes into account the importance of improving air
quality. Consistent with this balanced approach, I intend to work with
the Congress on a multipollutant strategy to require power plants to
reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and
mercury. Any such strategy would include phasing in
reductions over a reasonable period of time, providing regulatory
certainty, and offering market-based incentives to help industry meet
the targets. I do not believe, however, that the government
should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon
dioxide, which is not a "pollutant" under the Clean Air Act.
A recently released Department of Energy Report, "Analysis of
Strategies for Reducing Multiple Emissions from Power Plants,"
concluded that including caps on carbon dioxide emissions as part of a
multiple emissions strategy would lead to an even more dramatic shift
from coal to natural gas for electric power generation and
significantly higher electricity prices compared to scenarios in which
only sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides were reduced.
This is important new information that warrants a reevaluation,
especially at a time of rising energy prices and a serious energy
shortage. Coal generates more than half of America's
electricity supply. At a time when California has already
experienced energy shortages, and other Western states are worried
about price and availability of energy this summer, we must be very
careful not to take actions that could harm consumers. This
is especially true given the incomplete state of scientific knowledge
of the causes of, and solutions to, global climate change and the lack
of commercially available technologies for removing and storing carbon
dioxide.
Consistent with these concerns, we will continue to fully examine
global climate change issues -- including the science, technologies,
market-based systems, and innovative options for addressing
concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. I am
very optimistic that, with the proper focus and working with our
friends and allies, we will be able to develop technologies, market
incentives, and other creative ways to address global climate change.
I look forward to working with you and others to address global climate
change issues in the context of a national energy policy that protects
our environment, consumers, and economy.
Sincerely,
GEORGE
W. BUSH
|