[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     KYOTO TREATY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the oversight delegation 
that attended the negotiations over the U.N. treaty on climate change, 
I am absolutely outraged by U.N. official Raul Estrada's comments about 
congressional opposition to the overreaching Kyoto Accord.
  As I mentioned yesterday, Mr. Estrada and the rest of the world need 
to understand that, as representatives of the United States, our first 
obligation is to protect America's interests. The Kyoto treaty places 
the entire burden of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on developed 
nations and most particularly the United States, while giving 
developing nations like China, India, Mexico and Brazil a free pass. 
This would impose unrealistic burdens on the American people and 
significantly lower the standard of living of our country. Make no 
mistake about it, if this treaty goes through, we will lose jobs and 
our citizens will pay more for goods and services.
  Mr. Speaker, while the rest of the world may have an interest in 
seeing America's economy suffer, we do not. I urge my colleagues to 
remain firm in their opposition to the Kyoto treaty on climate change.

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