Cord Byrd: “press reports today from the annual economic summit of the world's major industrial powers in Denver indicate that there…”

“press reports today from the annual economic summit of the world's major industrial powers in Denver indicate that there was pressure on the United States from some of our allies to make new commitments to deep cutbacks on greenhouse gas emissions, specifically, carbon dioxide emissions. It is unfortunate that some of our allies, including the French in particular, chose this forum to change the terms of international dialogue on this issue. I commend President Clinton for resisting these surprising, new pressure tactics to shortcut the progress towards a reasonable solution at Kyoto and to try to force the United States to endorse an immediate commitment to unworkable new goals, thereby, shredding the negotiating process. We and the French are both part of negotiations intended as a follow-up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the so-called Rio Pact, signed in 1992, and approved by the Senate. The Rio Pact called upon the industrialized nations to aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to their 1990 levels by the year 2000, a goal which will not be achieved by the U.S. or by most of the industrialized nations.”