Bali Letter

 

December 4, 2007

Mr. Yvo de Boer
Executive Secretary
Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC)
P.O. Box 260 124
53153 Bonn, Germany

Dear Mr. de Boer:

    The upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, represents a critical juncture in the development of a global response to the grave threat posed by climate change.  As the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period nears its completion in 2012, it is imperative that the international community – with the full participation of the United States – establish a clear roadmap for future action.

    The negotiations on a new climate agreement will not conclude before 2009, after the next U.S. presidential election.  For that reason, we are writing to express our view that a change in Administrations is quite likely to lead to a change in the position of the United States.

The cornerstone of the current Administration’s international policy on climate change – as stated at the G-8 Summit in June 2007 and reiterated at the U.S.-hosted Major Emitters Meeting in September – is to avoid specific, enforceable emissions reduction targets, and to focus instead on long-term, voluntary, “aspirational goals.”  We disagree with that approach and point to growing evidence of public and political support in the United States for stronger action:

•    U.S. House of Representatives:  By the end of this year, both the House and Senate are expected to pass a comprehensive energy bill that will dramatically cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.  In addition, House Speaker Pelosi has announced her desire to pass strong federal climate legislation by the end of 2008.  The leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has stated its intention to move climate legislation with the goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions of 60-80 percent by 2050.  And 173 members of the House (40 percent of all members) are already co-sponsors of one of the major greenhouse gas “cap-and-trade” bills introduced in this Congress.

•    U.S. Senate:  The U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee is poised to report favorably to the full Senate the America’s Climate Security Act (S. 2191), which would cover sources responsible for over 80 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and would require emissions cuts of 70 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.  Senate Majority Leader Reid has announced his support for federal climate legislation and his willingness to bring a climate bill to the Senate floor next year.

•    State Action:  Twenty-one States, representing 47 percent of the U.S. population, have joined regional initiatives that require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through a mandatory “cap-and-trade” system.  In addition to these states, three others have established binding statewide greenhouse gas reduction targets.  In total, 55 percent of the U.S. population lives in a state that has already established rigorous mandatory greenhouse gas reduction targets.  Seventeen states (representing over 46 percent of the U.S. population) have adopted or will soon adopt greenhouse gas emissions standards for motor vehicles, which can be implemented if and when the federal government grants permission.

•    Local Government Action:  Over 725 mayors, whose cities represent over 25 percent of the U.S. population, have signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement – which calls for signatories to strive to cut local greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent or more from 1990 levels by 2012.

•    Judicial Rulings:  In April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s position that it lacks authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.  Consequently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will now be forced to regulate such emissions – from both vehicles and stationary sources such as power plants.  In addition, a federal district court recently held that federal law does not prohibit states from adopting greenhouse gas emissions standards for motor vehicles.  Finally, a federal court of appeals recently struck down the Administration’s lax fuel economy standards for sport utility vehicles and other “light trucks,” in part because the Administration ignored the costs imposed by greenhouse gas emissions from such vehicles.

•    Business Community:  The U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of 27 major U.S. corporations (including many of the nation’s largest greenhouse gas emitters) and six national environmental organizations, has called upon Congress to enact federal legislation requiring greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 60-80 percent below current levels by 2050.  In addition, several major energy industry trade associations have also endorsed mandatory federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

•    Public Opinion:  Recent polling suggests that a substantial majority of Americans agree that global warming is already causing a serious impact (70 percent), that the United States should reduce emissions of greenhouse gases even if it does so by itself (66 percent), and that the government should require at least power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (57 percent).

In summary, while the current Administration continues to drag its feet on climate change, the American public and mainstream political leaders are ready for action now.  We hope the international community will bear this in mind when evaluating the U.S. negotiating position at the Bali conference.  And whatever the U.S. position, we encourage global leaders to continue to press towards the development of an effective post-2012 framework to address climate change.


Sincerely,


______________________________                     ______________________________
Edward J. Markey                                                  Tom Lantos
Chair, Select Committee on Energy                         Chair, Committee on Foreign Relations
Independence and Global Warming


______________________________                    ______________________________
Henry A. Waxman                                                George Miller
Chair, Committee on Oversight and                        Chair, Committee on Education and Labor
Government Reform


______________________________                    ______________________________
Barney Frank                                                        Louise McIntosh Slaughter
Chair, Committee on Financial Services                    Chair, Committee on Rules


______________________________                    ______________________________
Bart Gordon                                                        John Conyers
Chair, Committee on Science and                          Chair, Committee on the Judiciary
Technology


______________________________                    ______________________________
Bennie G. Thompson                                            Bob Filner
Chair, Committee on Homeland Security                Chair, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs


______________________________    
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Chair, Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct

 

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