Letter to Bali: Markey, 10 Committee Chairs Outline for UN the Broad U.S. Political Support for Climate Action

For text of the letter click HERE. 

For a PDF copy of the letter click HERE. 

WASHINGTON (December 4, 2007) – As the United Nations global warming conference has started in Bali, Indonesia this week, Rep. Edward J. Markey was joined today by 10 House Committee chairmen in sending a letter of climate action support to the United Nations climate change minister, contrasting the willingness of the U.S. Congress, states, cities, and the American people to act now with the policy of delay adopted by the Bush administration.

“As world leaders and the United Nations meet in Bali to plan a future without global warming, the world must know that President Bush’s avoidance of action is not the status quo here in America,” said Markey, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. “With Congress, the states, cities, and Americans from coast to coast looking to act immediately on global warming, the international community must know they have significant support here in the United States.”

The letter was sent to Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCC (United Nations Framework on Climate Change), and points to seven different signals that the United States is already behind real action on global warming:

1)    U.S. House of Representatives: Energy bill passage and commitment to move on climate legislation.
2)    U.S. Senate: Upcoming committee work on America’s Climate Security Act.
3)    States: More than half of the U.S. population lives in states that has already enacted mandatory emissions reductions.
4)    Local governments: More than 725 mayors, representing 25 percent of the U.S. population, have signed an agreement to cut emissions.
5)    Judicial rulings: From Massachusetts v. EPA to the recent federal court decision on SUVs and global warming, the courts have signaled the federal government and the states have all the legal authority they need to act.
6)    Business community: The U.S. Climate Action Partnership, representing 27 of America’s largest and most powerful companies, has called upon congress to enact federal legislation on global warming.
7)    Public opinion: Recent polling suggests that a substantial majority of Americans agree that global warming is already causing a serious impact and the United States should reduce heat-trapping emissions.

For all these reasons, the letter notes, “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.”

Along with Chairman Markey, the letter was signed by the following Chairmen: Tom Lantos, Committee on Foreign Relations; Henry A. Waxman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; George Miller, Committee on Education and Labor; Barney Frank, Committee on Financial Services; Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Committee on Rules; Bart Gordon, Committee on Science and Technology; John Conyers, Committee on the Judiciary; Bennie G. Thompson, Committee on Homeland Security; Bob Filner, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

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