[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S663-S664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-337. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 14

       Whereas the United Nations has designated 67 sites in the 
     United States as ``World Heritage Sites'' or ``Biosphere 
     Reserves,'' which altogether are about equal in size to the 
     State of Colorado, the eighth largest state; and
       Whereas art. IV, sec. 3, United States Constitution, 
     provides that the United States Congress shall make all 
     needed regulations governing lands belonging to the United 
     States; and
       Whereas many of the United Nations' designations include 
     private property inholdings and contemplate ``buffer zones'' 
     of adjacent land; and
       Whereas some international land designations such as those 
     under the United States Biosphere Reserve Program and the Man 
     and Biosphere Program of the United Nations Scientific, 
     Educational, and Culture Organization operate under 
     independent national committees such as the United States 
     National Man and Biosphere Committee that have no legislative 
     directives or authorization from the Congress; and
       Whereas these international designations as presently 
     handled are an open invitation to the international community 
     to interfere in domestic economies and land use decisions; 
     and
       Whereas local citizens and public officials concerned about 
     job creation and resource based economies usually have no say 
     in the designation of land near their homes for inclusion in 
     an international land use program; and
       Whereas former Assistant Secretary of the Interior George 
     T. Frampton, Jr., and the President used the fact that 
     Yellowstone National Park had been designated as a ``World 
     Heritage Site'' as justification for intervening in the 
     environmental impact statement process and blocking possible 
     development of an underground mine on private land in Montana 
     outside of the park; and
       Whereas a recent designation of a portion of Kamchatka as a 
     ``World Heritage Site'' was followed immediately by efforts 
     from environmental groups to block investment insurance for 
     development projects on Kamchatka that are supported by the 
     local communities; and
       Whereas environmental groups and the National Park Service 
     have been working to establish an International Park, a World 
     Heritage Site, and a Marine Biosphere Reserve covering parts 
     of western Alaska, eastern Russia, and the Bering Sea; and
       Whereas, as occurred in Montana, such designations could be 
     used to block development projects on state and private land 
     in western Alaska; and
       Whereas foreign companies and countries could use such 
     international designations in western Alaska to block 
     economic development that they perceive as competition; and
       Whereas animal rights activists could use such 
     international designations to generate pressure to harass or 
     block harvesting of marine mammals by Alaska Natives; and
       Whereas such international designations could be used to 
     harass or block any commercial activity, including pipelines, 
     railroads, and power transmission lines; and
       Whereas the President and the executive branch of the 
     United States have, by Executive Order and other agreements, 
     implemented these designations without approval by the 
     Congress; and
       Whereas actions by the President in applying international 
     agreements to lands owned by the United States may circumvent 
     the Congress; and
       Whereas Congressman Don Young introduced House Resolution 
     No. 901 in the 105th Congress entitled the ``American Lands 
     Sovereignty Protection Act of 1997'' that required the 
     explicit approval of the Congress prior to restricting any 
     use of United States land under international agreements;
       Be it resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature supports 
     the ``American Lands Sovereignty Protection Act'' that 
     reaffirms the constitutional authority of the Congress as the 
     elected representatives of the people over the federally 
     owned land of the United States.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, 
     and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of 
     the Alaska delegation in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-338. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of West Virginia; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                     House Concurrent Resolution 3

       Whereas, The United States is a signatory to the 1992 
     United Nations Framework Convention of Global Climate Change; 
     and
       Whereas, In December, 1997, the United States participated 
     in negotiations in Kyoto, Japan, resulting in the agreement 
     known as the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for the United 
     States to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 7 percent 
     from 1990 levels during the period A.D. 2008 to 2012, with 
     potentially larger reductions thereafter; and
       Whereas, The United States delegation signed the Protocol 
     on December 10, 1997; and
       Whereas, The Kyoto Protocol calls for reductions by other 
     industrial nations from 1990 levels by 6 to 8 percent during 
     the same period; and
       Whereas, Developing nations are exempted from greenhouse 
     gas emission limitation requirements of the Framework 
     Convention and refused to accept any new commitments for such 
     limitations during the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol; 
     and

[[Page S664]]

       Whereas, The United States relies on carbon-based fossil 
     fuels for more than 90 percent of its total energy supply; 
     and
       Whereas, The requirements of the Protocol would bind the 
     United States to more than a 35 percent reduction in carbon 
     dioxide emissions between 2008 and 2012; and
       Whereas, Research has not reached convincing proof that 
     fossil fuel related emissions is in fact creating global 
     climate changes; and
       Whereas, Economic impact studies by the United States 
     government estimate that the requirements of the treaty could 
     result in the loss of 900,000 jobs, increased energy prices, 
     losses of output in energy intensive industries such as 
     aluminum, steel, rubber, chemical and utility production and 
     especially the coal industry; and
       Whereas, The State of West Virginia, being dependent upon 
     these industries and especially upon the coal industry, would 
     experience these effects severely, including the possible 
     loss of thousands of jobs; and
       Whereas, The President of the United States pledged on 
     October 22, 1997, that the United States will not assume 
     binding obligations unless key developing nations 
     meaningfully participate in this effort; and
       Whereas, The failure of key developing nations to 
     participate will create unfair competitive imbalances between 
     the United States and these developing nations, potentially 
     leading to the transfer of jobs vital to the West Virginia 
     economy to developing nations; and
       Whereas, On July 25, 1997, the United States Senate adopted 
     Senate Resolution No. 98, expressing the sense of the Senate 
     that the United States should not be a signatory to any 
     protocol or to any other agreement which would require the 
     advice and consent of the Senate to ratify, and which would 
     mandate new commitments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions 
     unless the protocol or agreement mandates commitments and 
     compliance by developing nations; therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, That the 
     President of the United States is requested not to sign the 
     Kyoto Protocol so long as the possibility of all above 
     mentioned negative effects upon the American economy exists; 
     and, be it
       Further Resolved, That, in the event that the President 
     signs the Kyoto Protocol, the Senate of the United States is 
     requested to refuse ratification of the Protocol so long as 
     the possibility of said effects exits; and, be it
       Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates 
     shall, immediately upon its adoption, transmit duly 
     authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of 
     the United States, to the President Pro Tempore and the 
     Secretary of the United States Senate, and to the United 
     States Senators representing West Virginia.

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