Henry Waxman: “I think 50 years from now, people would look back at the appropriations bill with dismay if it were to stay in its…”

“I think 50 years from now, people would look back at the appropriations bill with dismay if it were to stay in its present form, because, as I read the bill that came out of committee, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council on Environmental Quality would be restricted from educating and conducting outreach and holding informational seminars on policies underlying the protocol relating to the Kyoto Conference. And not only that, it would be prevented from thinking through and developing proposals to deal with the global climate questions. The amendment we just adopted a while ago offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) would have struck, did in fact strike the most egregious parts of the committee's recommendation to us. I would hope that, as this bill moves forward, there will be other approaches that will assure those who are anxious about this matter that the treaty, if there is one, will not be implemented until it is ratified. We do not implement laws that have not been passed, and we do not allow executive branch agencies to adopt regulations to enforce treaties that have not been ratified.”