[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16391]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  U.S. SHOULD ASSUME INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP ROLE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2002

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I expected that the United States would 
have taken a leadership role in the recent international summit on 
sustainable development. Instead, I am disappointed to report that this 
Administration has taken a back seat in international discussions on 
global warming and increasing the use of renewable energy.


                             GLOBAL WARMING

  The United States is the number one contributor of greenhouse gases 
worldwide. We have a responsibility to provide the necessary 
international leadership to address global warming. It is shameful that 
the Bush Administration has elected to ignore that responsibility. Not 
only did the Bush Administration decide that the United States should 
not take a leadership role on addressing the challenges presented by 
global warming, but worse, it also tried desperately to keep the 
climate change issue off of the World Summit on Sustainable Development 
Agenda earlier this month in Johannesburg.
  We may not agree with every international recommendation, and we must 
chart our own course. But at the time we must engage the issue not only 
here at home but also with our global neighbors around the world. If we 
don't show leadership, then we abdicate leadership.


                            RENEWABLE ENERGY

  Even though we in the U.S. account for only 4 percent of the world's 
population, we account for 20 percent of the world's energy use. We are 
the world's great producer and great consumer. We must take 
responsibility for the consequences of our prosperity. Simply seeking 
voluntary standards to protect the environment will not solve the 
problem. Without some sort of specific timetables or goals, we will 
never get there. Partnerships are successful only when there is binding 
accountability. The Enron and WorldCom scandals have shown us the hard 
way that corporate self-policing will not work. We don't need 
corporations to do to our environment what they have done to their 
employees' 401 Ks.
  Our national energy policy must include a forward-thinking plan to 
increase the use of renewable energy--in our buildings, automobiles, 
and appliances, the large sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Tax 
credits, incentives to use smart energy plans, and efficiency programs 
such as those offered by the Brooks Energy Sustainability Lab are all 
steps in the right direction to create more energy-efficient buildings 
and appliances.

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