Angie Craig: “I want to ask the Chairman about a small provision in report language, under the Natural Resources Conservation Service.…”

“I want to ask the Chairman about a small provision in report language, under the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The report encourages the agency to interface with a consortium of universities on developing carbon dioxide emissions trading credit models. I am just seeking clarification on the academic nature of the efforts described and the intent of the Committee. In numerous appropriations bills and reports, the Committee and the Senate have reiterated the position, consistent with the unanimously-passed Byrd-Hagel resolution, that the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change and control of greenhouse gases has not been approved by the Senate and must not be implemented by the Administration through the regulatory backdoor. Every year, language to this effect has been included in a growing number of appropriations laws, including the Agriculture Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2000. My question arises because emissions trading is inextricably, and most visibly, linked to the limits envisioned in the Kyoto Protocol. I assume there is no intention in the report language to be inconsistent with our longstanding position on Kyoto and no implied endorsement of emissions trading. I would read the report as simply encouraging the agency in giving technical assistance to an academic research project relevant to agriculture.”