[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 26556-26585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP ACT OF 2003

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of S. 139, which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 139) to provide for a program of scientific 
     research on abrupt bankrupt climate change, to accelerate the 
     reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by 
     establishing a market-driven system of greenhouse gas 
     tradeable allowances that could be used interchangeably with 
     passenger vehicle fuel economy standard credits, to limit 
     greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and reduce 
     dependence upon foreign oil, and ensure benefits to consumers 
     from the trading in such allowances.

  Pending:

       Lieberman/McCain amendment No. 2028, in the nature of a 
     substitute.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The assistant Democratic leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we are now on global warming. Because of 
scheduling problems, the managers of the

[[Page 26557]]

bill, Senator Inhofe, Senator McCain, and Senator Lieberman, have 
agreed to each give up 15 minutes on their side. Therefore, the vote 
will occur at 12:45. I ask unanimous consent that be the case--that the 
vote occur at 12:45.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Under the previous order, there are 90 minutes equally divided for 
debate between the chairman and the Senator from Connecticut, or their 
designees.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished 
Senator from Washington.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington is recognized.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise to support the Climate Stewardship 
Act offered by Senators Lieberman and McCain and to cosponsor this 
aggressive plan to fight global warming.
  When President Bush walked away from the Kyoto Protocol negotiations 
in March 2001, he promised the American people he would come up with an 
alternative. More than 2 years later, the President has yet to deliver 
on his promise and we simply cannot wait any longer to start making 
progress.
  Here in the Senate we have a worthy plan that will cut greenhouse gas 
emissions. I want to applaud Senators Lieberman and McCain for 
presenting this meaningful and comprehensive plan.
  The McCain-Lieberman bill will require mandatory greenhouse gas 
emissions reductions in the United States from broad sectors of our 
economy. Rather than just aiming to limit industrial emissions--as 
other plans have done--this legislation will require emissions 
reductions from four major sectors of the economy: electric utilities; 
industrial plans; transportation; and large commercial facilities. 
These four sectors contribute 85 percent of the greenhouse gases 
produced in America.
  The McCain-Lieberman legislation relies on a national ``cap and 
trade'' system to reduce the air pollutants that contribute to climate 
change. Many of my colleagues are familiar with this approach. It was 
first used on a national scale to combat acid rain under Title IV of 
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. A cap and trade system 
establishes an overall total limit on emissions and then allows 
pollution sources to trade emissions allowances. It gives participants 
the flexibility of the marketplace, and it works.
  In fact, the acid rain program has reduced sulfur dioxide emissions 
from power plants--and it has done it at less than a quarter of the 
predicted cost to industry.
  The McCain-Lieberman program will mandate that by 2010, the four 
sectors involved must reduce their emissions to 2000 levels. This is a 
meaningful and substantial reduction in emissions--a 5 percent 
reduction over the next 7 years.
  Some critics suggest that you can't ``grow the economy'' without 
emitting more greenhouse gases. We know that is not true. As the acid 
rain program proved, the cap and trade system works well.
  There were nay-sayers in 1990, and they were proven wrong. There are 
nay-sayers now, and we must prove them wrong again.
  This is also an opportunity for American companies to get ahead of 
trends that we know are coming. We know that the future of energy 
production lies in renewable energy and in alternatives to fossil 
fuels. I want American workers to lead the way, and I want American 
companies to share in the benefits.
  It is projected that over the next 20 years, $10-$20 trillion will be 
spent globally on new energy technologies. This is an enormous market, 
and much of the investment will take place outside of the U.S., in 
places such as China. I want American companies to sell the 
technologies that will be needed and used throughout the world. By 
passing this legislation, we will give American companies incentives to 
pursue new, clean energy technologies. And new technologies mean new 
jobs--especially compared to older energy sources.
  Today, for every 1 percent of market share, renewable energy 
technologies generate 12,500 jobs. By the same measure, the coal 
industry only generates 3,000 jobs.
  So this new technology holds a lot of promise in helping American 
companies and the American economy.
  Let me mention briefly the President's so-called clear skies plan. 
This administration's approach to global climate change has been to 
focus on reducing greenhouse gas intensity. That is the ratio of carbon 
emission to gross domestic product. What most people do not know is 
greenhouse intensity is already declining. As the economy modernizes, 
it naturally becomes more efficient in terms of energy use, so when the 
President says he wants to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18 
percent over the next 10 years with his Clear Skies Initiative, we 
should ask how much would the intensity decrease over the next 10 years 
without the Clear Skies Initiative.
  The answer is stunning and underscores how little this administration 
really wants to do to reverse global warming. According to CRS, 
greenhouse gas intensity is projected to fall by over 14 percent over 
the next 10 years under current environmental regulations. The 
President's proposal is nearly as weak as existing law. President Bush 
thinks the Federal Government's primary climate change goal should be 
to encourage voluntary measures to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 
only 4 percent over the next decade.
  That is an utterly irresponsible approach to global warming. Our 
country should be taking an aggressive lead on reducing pollution. I am 
confident by using market-oriented strategies and new technologies, 
American ingenuity can find ways to reduce emissions without harming 
the economy. As I mentioned earlier, it will help our economy.
  The threat of global warming is real. The Pacific Northwest stands to 
lose much from climate change from increasing severe storms to rising 
sea levels to negative impacts on our forests, our coasts, our salmon, 
and our agriculture. Those resources define the quality of life where I 
live.
  In Washington State, increasing temperatures over the next decades 
could cause salmon in Puget Sound to migrate north. It could cause some 
crops to shift their natural habitats into Canada.
  The western governors understand this. In September, the governors of 
California, Oregon, and my home State of Washington got together to 
curb greenhouse gas emissions by promoting tougher emissions standards 
for new power plants.
  Governors and legislatures in the Northeast have taken similar 
measures.
  Soon the Nation will face a patchwork of regional regulations, making 
it costly and cumbersome for industries to comply.
  We in Congress need to take action since this White House has failed 
to act. It's time for a real policy to reduce our impacts on the global 
climate.
  We know that a clean environment contributes to the health and 
quality of life for every Washingtonian and for every American. The 
McCain-Lieberman bill is an important first step.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this 
legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed a New York Times article that 
reported on the regional regulations.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, Oct. 29, 2003]

  The Warming Is Global but the Legislating, in the U.S., Is All Local

                          (By Jennifer 8. Lee)

       Washington, Oct. 28--Motivated by environmental and 
     economic concerns, States have become the driving force in 
     efforts to combat global warming even as mandatory programs 
     on the Federal level have largely stalled.
       At least half of the States are addressing global warming, 
     whether through legislation, lawsuits against the Bush 
     administration or programs initiated by governors.
       In the last three years, State legislatures have passed at 
     least 29 bills, usually with bipartisan support. The most 
     contentious is

[[Page 26558]]

     California's 2002 law to set strict limits for new cars on 
     emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas that scientists say has 
     the greatest role in global warming.
       While few of the State laws will have as much impact as 
     California's, they are not merely symbolic. In addition to 
     caps on emissions of gases like carbon dioxide that can cause 
     the atmosphere to heat up like a greenhouse, they include 
     registries to track such emissions, efforts to diversify fuel 
     sources and the use of crops to capture carbon dioxide by 
     taking it out of the atmosphere and into the ground.
       Aside from their practical effects, supporters say, these 
     efforts will put pressure on Congress and the administration 
     to enact Federal legislation, if only to bring order to a 
     patchwork of State laws.
       States are moving ahead in large part to fill the vacuum 
     that has been left by the Federal Government, said David 
     Danner, the energy adviser for Gov. Gary Locke of Washington.
       ``We hope to see the problem addressed at the Federal 
     level,'' Mr. Danner said, ``but we're not waiting around.''
       There are some initiatives in Congress, but for the moment 
     even their backers acknowledge that they are doomed, given 
     strong opposition from industry, the Bush administration--
     which favors voluntary controls--and most Congressional 
     Republicans.
       This week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a proposal to 
     create a national regulatory structure for carbon dioxide. 
     This would be the first vote for either house on a measure to 
     restrict the gas.
       The proposal's primary sponsors, Senator John McCain, 
     Republican of Arizona, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, 
     Democrat of Connecticut, see it mainly as a way to force 
     senators to take a position on the issue, given the measure's 
     slim prospects.
       States are acting partly because of predictions that global 
     warming could damage local economies by harming agriculture, 
     eroding shorelines and hurting tourism.
       ``We're already seeing things which may be linked to global 
     warming here in the state,'' Mr. Danner said. ``We have low 
     snowpack, increased forest fire danger.''
       Environmental groups and officials in state governments say 
     that energy initiatives are easier to move forward on the 
     local level because they span constituents--industrial and 
     service sectors, Democrat and Republican, urban and rural.
       While the coal, oil and automobile industries have big 
     lobbies in Washington, the industry presence is diluted on 
     the state level. Environmental groups say this was crucial to 
     winning a legislative battle over automobile emissions in 
     California, where the automobile industry did not have a long 
     history of large campaign donations and instead had to rely 
     on a six-month advertising campaign to make its case.
       Local businesses are also interested in policy decisions 
     because of concerns about long-term energy costs, said 
     Christopher James, director of air planning and standards for 
     the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. As a 
     result, environmental groups are shifting their efforts to 
     focus outside Washington.
       Five years ago the assumption was that the climate treaty 
     known as the Kyoto Protocol was the only effort, in town, 
     said Rhys Roth, the executive director of Climate Solutions, 
     which works on global warming issues in the Pacific Northwest 
     states. But since President Bush rejected the Kyoto pact in 
     2001, local groups have been emerging on the regional, state 
     and municipal levels.
       The Climate Action Network, a worldwide conglomeration of 
     nongovernment organizations working on global warming, 
     doubled its membership of state and local groups in the last 
     two years.
       The burst of activity is not limited to the states with a 
     traditional environmental bent.
       At least 15 states, including Texas and Nevada, are forcing 
     their state electric utilities to diversify beyond coal and 
     oil to energy sources like wind and solar power.
       Even rural states are linking their agricultural practices 
     to global warming. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wyoming have all 
     passed initiatives in anticipation of future greenhouse-gas 
     emission trading, hoping they can capitalize on their forests 
     and crops to capture carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
       Cities are also adopting new energy policies. San 
     Franciscans approved a $100 million bond initiative in 2001 
     to pay for solar panels for municipal buildings, including 
     the San Francisco convention center.
       The rising level of state activity is causing concern among 
     those who oppose carbon dioxide regulation.
       ``I believe the states are being used to force a federal 
     mandate,'' said Sandy Liddy Bourne, who does research on 
     global warming for the American Legislative Exchange Council, 
     a group contending that carbon dioxide should not be 
     regulated because it is not a pollutant. ``Rarely do you see 
     so many bills in one subject area introduced across the 
     country.''
       The council started tracking state legislation, which they 
     call son-of-Kyoto bills, weekly after they noticed a 
     significant rise in greenhouse-gas-related legislation two 
     years ago. This year, the council says, 24 states have 
     introduced 90 bills that would build frameworks for 
     regulating carbon dioxide. Sixty-six such bills were 
     introduced in all of 2001 and 2002.
       Some of the activity has graduated to a regional level. 
     Last summer, Gov. George E. Pataki of New York invited 10 
     Northeastern states to set up a regional trading network 
     where power plants could buy and sell carbon dioxide credits 
     in an effort to lower overall emissions. In 2001, six New 
     England states entered into an agreement with Canadian 
     provinces to cap overall emissions by 2010. Last month, 
     California, Washington and Oregon announced that they would 
     start looking at shared strategies to address global warming.
       To be sure, some states have decided not to embrace 
     policies to combat global warming. Six--Alabama, Illinois, 
     Kentucky, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming--have 
     explicitly passed laws against any mandatory reductions in 
     greenhouse gas emissions.
       ``My concern,'' said Ms. Bourne, ``is that members of 
     industry and environment groups will go to the federal 
     government to say: `There is a patchwork quilt of greenhouse-
     gas regulations across the country. We cannot deal with the 
     50 monkeys. We must have one 800-pound gorilla. Please give 
     us a federal mandate.''' Indeed, some environmentalists say 
     this is precisely their strategy.
       States developed their own air toxics pollution programs in 
     the 1980's, which resulted in different regulations and 
     standards across the country. Industry groups, including the 
     American Chemistry Council, eventually lobbied Congress for 
     federal standards, which were incorporated into the 1990 
     Clean Air Act amendments.
       A number of states are trying to compel the federal 
     government to move sooner rather than later. On Thursday, 12 
     states, including New York, with its Republican governor, and 
     three cities sued the Environmental Protection Agency for its 
     recent decision not to regulate greenhouse-gas pollutants 
     under the Clean Air Act, a reversal of the agency's previous 
     stance under the Clinton administration.
       ``Global warming cannot be solely addressed at the state 
     level,'' said Tom Reilly, the Massachusetts attorney general. 
     ``It's a problem that requires a federal approach.''

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of the McCain-
Lieberman amendment. I would like to begin by thanking the 
distinguished Senators from Arizona and Connecticut for their work on 
this bill. Their efforts are moving the Senate and the country forward 
on this very important issue.
  I strongly believe that it is time for the United States to take real 
action against climate change. The science is solid. It is time to stop 
debating whether to do something and start discussing how to do it.
  This modest bill is an affordable and crucial step forward. It is 
time to act.
  The McCain-Lieberman amendment would create the infrastructure needed 
to track and trade greenhouse gas emissions and require the U.S. to 
return to year 2000 emissions levels by 2010.
  The amendment would give us 7 years to reach year 2000 level 
emissions. Because of the recession, our national emissions actually 
went down in 2001. So we are actually at about year 2000 levels right 
now.
  So we have 7 years just to get back to our current level of 
emissions. This is a modest step but it is a step forward.
  As the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, the U.S. has a duty to 
act.
  With only 4 percent of the world's population, we produce 20 percent 
of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the world is already 
reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The world is counting on us to 
do the same.
  If we continue to ignore the problem, it will only get worse. If we 
wait, we will need to make bigger cuts in our emissions and we will 
have less time. Action will become more expensive rather than less.
  I understand that many people are concerned about the costs of any 
efforts to reduce emissions. I also want to make sure that whatever 
program we wind up with is a good deal for the American people.
  I strongly believe that the cap and trade program in this bill is a 
good deal for America.
  Concerns about the cost of action are important.
  But I want to ask my colleagues to consider very carefully the cost 
of doing nothing. The evidence is getting stronger and stronger that 
climate change will be very expensive.
  According to the best available research, not acting will cost my 
State

[[Page 26559]]

dearly. Our large population, our geography, and especially our 
reliance on snow runoff for water make California extremely vulnerable 
to global warming.
  Frankly, the models predicting the impacts of global warming on 
California are frightening.
  Climate change threatens the agricultural and natural resource 
industries that are central to California's economy and quality of 
life.
  As the Senate knows, I am especially concerned about the future of 
California's water supply. More than 36 million people live in 
California right now, and we expect to have 50 million people by 2020.
  Even without climate change, it would be a struggle to supply enough 
water for all of these people. But report after report indicates that 
climate change will further threaten a water supply that is already 
tight.
  Models from NASA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and the 
Union of Concerned Scientists all indicate that climate change is 
likely to increase winter rain and decrease snowfall in California.
  More winter rain means winter flooding. Less snow means less water 
for the rest of the year.
  But California's natural environment as we know it depends on gradual 
runoff from snow.
  Furthermore, we have spent billions of dollars on water 
infrastructure in California that depends on this runoff. And yet we 
already struggle to provide enough water for our farms, our cities, and 
our fish and wildlife.
  As my colleagues know, I have worked hard to plan for the future of 
California's water supply. Climate change threatens even to make those 
plans insufficient.
  We are already seeing alarming changes. According to scientists at 
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the past century has seen a 
decline in spring and summer runoff in some California streams.
  In 1910, half of the Sacramento River's annual runoff took place 
between April and July.
  Today, that number is closer to 35 percent and is continuing to 
decline. We can no longer count on this runoff.
  We are also already seeing a rise in sea level. Average sea level has 
risen considerably in San Francisco since 1850, with the most marked 
increase occuring since 1925. My colleagues from coastal states 
understand the potential cost of rising sea levels to coastal 
communities.
  We are seeing other effects of climate change throughout the world:
  The Union of Concerned Scientists has found that the global sea level 
has risen about three times faster over the past 100 years than the 
previous 3,000 years.
  In July, the World Meteorological Organization released an 
unprecedented warning about extreme weather events. According to the 
organization's press release, ``recent scientific assessments indicate 
that, as the global temperatures continue to warm due to climate 
change, the number and intensity of extreme events might increase.''
  According to the World Meteorological Organization, the United States 
experienced 562 tornadoes in May of this year. The tornadoes killed 41 
people. This was 163 more tornadoes than the United States had ever 
experienced in one month.
  We are seeing similar record extremes around the world. These extreme 
weather events are a predicted result of climate change.
  Climate change is also affecting some of our most treasured places. 
Last November, the Los Angeles Times published an article about the 
vanishing glaciers of Glacier National Park in Montana. Over a century 
ago, 150 of these magnificent glaciers could be seen on the high cliffs 
and jagged peaks of the surrounding mountains of the park. Today, there 
are only 35. And the 35 glaciers that remain today are disintegrating 
so quickly that scientists estimate the park will have no glaciers in 
30 years.
  Closer to home for me, on October 12 of this year, the Los Angeles 
Times reported that glaciers in the Sierra Nevada are disappearing. 
Many of these glaciers have been there for the last thousand years.
  We are seeing similar melting around the world, from the snows of Mt. 
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to the ice fields beneath Mt. Everest in the 
Himalayas.
  Dwindling glaciers offer a clear and visible sign of climate change 
in America and the rest of the world.
  We are already seeing some of these changes. The science tells us to 
expect even more. The evidence that climate change is real is 
overwhelming: including reports from the National Academies of Science, 
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and even the 
Congressional Budget Office.
  To quote a CBO report released in May, ``scientists generally agree 
that continued population growth and economic development over the next 
century will result in substantially more greenhouse gas emissions and 
further warming unless actions are taken to control those emissions.''
  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the 
Earth's average temperature could rise by as much as 10 degrees in the 
next 100 years--the most rapid change in 10,000 years.
  The latest evidence also indicates that climate change is likely to 
lead to more forest fires. Models indicate that warming will lead to 
dryer conditions in many places. Furthermore, warming is allowing bark 
beetles to spread farther north and to higher altitudes than ever 
before.
  In parts of Alaska, bark beetles now have two generations per year 
instead of one, leading to drastic increases in population and 
destruction of our forests.
  As we know too well, dry conditions and insect kill makes our forests 
into tinder boxes.
  I strongly believe that we have the evidence that we need in order to 
act. Not addressing climate change will cost us dearly.
  Yet, so far, the United States has not really taken action against 
climate change. Not only are we not part of the Kyoto Protocol, but the 
administration refuses to take part in shaping another solution. This 
is a big mistake.
  We emit more greenhouse gases than any nation on Earth. The world is 
counting on us, and we have a responsibility to help.
  We should be a leader--not an obstacle--when it comes to combating 
global warming. In his speech to the joint session of Congress--which 
many of us cited as among the best we have ever heard--British Prime 
Minister Tony Blair challenged the U.S. to take action now. Mr Blair 
said:

       Climate change, deforestation, the voracious drain on 
     natural resources cannot be ignored. Unchecked, these forces 
     will hinder the economic development of the most vulnerable 
     nations first and ultimately all nations.

  Mr. Blair went on to say:

       We must show the world that we are willing to step up to 
     these challenges around the world and in our own backyards. 
     If this seems a long way from the threat of terror and 
     weapons of mass destruction, it is only to say again that the 
     world security cannot be protected without the world's heart 
     being won. So America must listen as well as lead.

  Prime Minister Blair is right. If we fail to act now, we will face 
devastating consequences in the future. We will impose those same 
consequences on future Americans and the rest of the world.
  Continued failure to act will also further strain our relationships 
with our allies. These relationships are already tense enough.
  The administration has said that we need more research before acting. 
I agree that we should continue to study climate change. But we also 
need to start reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases now.
  Prime Minister Blair has committed to a 60 percent cut in Britain's 
emissions by 2050. We need to make sure the U.S. is not left behind.
  The McCain-Lieberman amendment is the right place to start.
  This is a modest amendment. We would need to be back to our current 
level of emissions by 2010. In reality, much of the reduction in ``net 
emissions'' will come through increased carbon sequestration in forest 
and agricultural land. Emissions could actually increase as long as 
there is enough sequestration to offset the increases.

[[Page 26560]]

  The amendment is comprehensive. The amendment covers six greenhouse 
gases and the vast majority of our greenhouse gas emissions.
  The amendment is low cost. Repeated analyses have shown that cap-and-
trade programs are the most cost effective way to reduce emissions. 
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this amendment 
would cost less than $20 per household over the life of the program--we 
can afford this cost.
  The amendment would not lead to rapid fuel switching to natural gas. 
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, coal use would 
actually continue to increase under this amendment. Natural gas use 
would decrease from business as usual because the bill would spur 
conservation measures.
  During the latest energy crisis, California showed that conservation 
can make a huge difference. This bill will help us create better 
incentives for conservation.
  Even the Energy Information Administration, EIA, says that this 
amendment would not result in fuel switching. EIA was concerned about 
the costs of the original Climate Stewardship Act. I believe that the 
agency's models are flawed and biased toward higher costs. But even 
those models indicate that this amendment will cost little and will not 
lead to price spikes.
  There is a lot of misinformation floating around about this 
amendment. Some of the models were analyzing the Kyoto Protocol, which 
would have required a 20 percent emissions reduction by 2010. This 
amendment requires us to get back to our current emissions by 2010, an 
entirely different proposition.
  Other models are based on an ``energy shock.'' Coming from 
California, I am quite familiar with energy crises. Shocks happen when 
businesses do not have time to prepare. This amendment is not a shock. 
We are giving industry 7 years' warning. According to the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology, 7 years is enough time for the economy to 
adjust without job losses.
  Businesses throughout the country have shown that efforts to reduce 
emissions can increase efficiency and actually save companies money.
  Voluntary programs simply are not doing the job. We need to give 
incentives for all companies to increase efficiency and cut emissions.
  We need to move forward with a national solution to climate change. 
So far, we have placed all of the burden on the states.
  I am proud to say that California has been a leader. California has 
created a registry of greenhouse gas emissions that will be a model for 
the nation. Several other states are already looking to adopt the 
California Climate Action Registry's standards.
  Similarly, California has a groundbreaking regulation affecting 
greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.
  Many states are moving forward, and they are now pressing harder for 
Federal action.
  Local officials are also pressing for a national plan. My colleagues 
know that I am partial to mayors. Recently, 155 mayors, including 38 
from my State alone, signed a statement calling for national action.
  State and local programs are important and I applaud these efforts. 
But we need national leadership on this issue.
  The McCain-Lieberman approach has widespread public support. 
According to a recent national poll, three-fourths of Americans support 
this approach to global warming--including solid majorities from both 
parties. We need to listen.
  We know that agreement on climate change is possible in the Senate. 
The Senate has passed a modest provision in the Energy Bill 2 years in 
a row. The Foreign Relations Committee has recognized the urgency of 
the issue for our diplomatic relations.
  It is time for the entire Senate to go on record on this important 
topic. We need to show Americans and the rest of the world that we are 
listening and that we are doing something about climate change.
  I believe we can unite behind this bill and move the debate forward.
  As Mr. Blair said, we have a responsibility to listen and to lead. I 
urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I will yield in a minute to the Senator 
from Nebraska.
  Last night we went into a lot of detail in this debate and I used 
three groups of scientists, numbering over 20,000, who refute the 
science on which global warming is based. Only two criticisms did I get 
from the other side. One was comments I made about supposedly 
misquoting Professor Schneider. After looking at this, I find I did not 
misquote him at all. He is one who adheres to the MIT study that says 
there is far less than 1 percent chance temperatures would rise to 5.18 
degrees or higher, while there is a 17 percent chance that temperatures 
would rise lower than 1.4 degrees. These are the guys who are for this.
  More significant--and this is setting the framework for this debate 
today. This is not about a pared-down bill McCain-Lieberman are coming 
up with now. They have both said this is just a start.
  I will quote Professor Wigley, one I was criticized for misquoting. 
We find out I did not. He said:

       Senator Inhofe quotes my 1998 publication . . . where I 
     pointed out that adhering to the emissions reductions 
     outlined in the Kyoto Protocol would have only a small effect 
     on the system. What he fails to point out is this analysis 
     assumed that Kyoto was followed to 2010, and there were no 
     subsequent system climate mitigation policies. The point of 
     the paper was to show that Kyoto was to be considered only 
     the first step of a long and complex process of reducing our 
     dependency on fossil fuels as a primary energy source.

  The chart of Senator Sununu shows how little change would be possible 
under this.
  I yield to the Senator from Nebraska for 8 minutes.
  Mr. HAGEL. I very much appreciate the leadership of the chairman on 
this issue and on this important debate.
  I am here this morning to discuss the United States response to 
global climate change. How our Nation addresses global climate change 
may prove to be one of the most important economic and environmental 
decisions of our time. As we debate the McCain-Lieberman Climate 
Stewardship Act of 2003, it is important to keep in mind this is not a 
debate about who is for or against the environment. There is no Member 
of Congress who wants dirty air, dirty water, a dirty environment, or 
declining standards of living for their children and grandchildren. We 
all agree on the need for a clean environment. We all want to leave our 
children a better, cleaner, more prosperous world.
  The debate on climate change, however, has moved beyond the Kyoto 
protocol. In 1997, by a 95-0 vote, this body, the Senate, adopted the 
Byrd-Hagel resolution which stated the United States would not sign any 
international treaty that excluded action on the part of developing 
nations or that would cause serious economic harm to the United States.
  However, the concerns about our climate have not abated. We should 
recognize the efforts of Senators McCain and Lieberman and others on 
this particular issue. Although I disagree with the approach they have 
proposed, I understand and share their concerns. It is important to 
keep the debate moving forward in order to develop and implement 
practical policies to deal with climate change.
  The McCain-Lieberman bill would create mandatory emissions reductions 
for greenhouse gasses here in this country. The consequences of such 
mandates are severe. This bill would raise energy prices for consumers, 
agricultural producers, business, and industry, and have a very 
negative impact on our economy. The mandates would also be very 
difficult to reach.
  The Department of Energy's own independent Energy Information 
Administration projects the greenhouse gas emission levels in 2010 
would have to be reduced by 14 percent in order to achieve the 2000 
emission level quota set by this bill, not the 1.5 percent reduction 
that supporters of this bill are claiming.
  This means utilities and manufacturers will have to find alternatives 
to coal, the predominant fuel used in this

[[Page 26561]]

country. In most cases, this means switching to natural gas. That would 
mean higher costs for homeowners, businesses, industry, and farmers, as 
well as possible natural gas shortages.
  A fuel shift of this magnitude demanded by this bill for the utility 
industry would require natural gas production and pipeline capacity 
this country simply does not have nor will have in 2010.
  We have recently seen the effects of high natural gas prices in this 
country. A recent GAO report concluded the natural gas price fight in 
the years 2000 to 2002 led to a 25 percent reduction in domestic 
production of nitrogen fertilizer and a 43 percent in nitrogen imports. 
This was a significant blow to this country, especially to our 
agricultural producers.
  Record demands and higher prices for natural gas caused America's 
farmers and ranchers to spend an additional $1.5 billion just to plant 
and fertilize their crops this past spring.
  The question we are faced with is not whether we should take action 
but what kind of action would best address the climate change challenge 
we face now and into the future. Our actions should be focused on 
incentivizing and achieving voluntary emissions reductions in 
developing and disseminating clear technologies.
  I supported such actions in the past in addressing our national 
climate change policy: The establishment of a voluntary registry for 
carbon emissions reductions; tax credits for emissions reductions; and 
research into climate change science and carbon sequestration. Closing 
the gaps in our knowledge, our science, our industry, and our 
technology builds a solid foundation for a wise climate policy for the 
future.
  Although there are inconsistencies in the science, there has been a 
human impact on the Earth's atmosphere--we all accept that--and we 
should consider steps to mitigate that impact. The sooner we begin, the 
smaller and less painful the changes will have to be in the future. 
Global warming does not recognize national borders. The changes under 
consideration today are proposed solely for the United States, but our 
global warming policy must be broader. The United States alone cannot 
improve the Earth's climate. The only way forward is through 
international cooperation and collaboration--engaging, helping, 
partnering with all nations, especially developing nations. Developing 
nations are quickly becoming the major emitters of greenhouse gasses, 
but they are exempted from international agreements to reduce these 
emissions. There are some good reasons for this. These nations cannot 
achieve greenhouse gas reductions until they achieve higher standards 
of living. They lack clean energy technology, and they cannot absorb 
the economic impact of the changes necessary for emissions reductions. 
Our partnerships with developing nations can help increase the 
efficiency of their energy use and reduce their greenhouse gas 
emissions. Industrialized nations must help less developed nations by 
sharing cleaner technology so developing countries can leapfrog over 
the highly polluting stages of development that the United States and 
other countries have already been through. The Bush administration has 
taken the initiative in developing these public-private partnerships 
and projects with all developing nations.
  The United States Chamber of Commerce has called for a Marshall plan 
for developing emissions-free technologies. Part of that plan includes 
the dissemination of those technologies to developing nations. This 
will take time. We should be thinking and planning 20 to 50 years out.
  By partnering with developing nations, we will export American 
technology and expertise, and improve all economies along the way.
  These are the types of plans the U.S. should be reviewing. 
Investments can be spread over time and gradual and effective change is 
the least painful to individuals, industries and nations--and it is the 
most lasting. It also allows all nations to participate in workable 
climate change policies. It is the only way to ensure both global 
climate change success and global prosperity.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield my friend and colleague from 
Florida 6 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida is recognized for 6 
minutes.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, thank you. And in 6 short 
minutes I want to give you my observations of why this is an extremely 
critical piece of legislation to the future of Planet Earth.
  I bring back to my mind's eye a picture that is embedded in my 
memory, looking out the window of our spacecraft 17 years ago back at 
Planet Earth. It is such a beautiful creation, suspended in the middle 
of nothing. It is a blue and white ball--blue from the oceans and white 
from the clouds--suspended in the middle of this black backdrop of 
space that goes on and on for billions of light years--an airless 
vacuum. And there, suspended in the midst of it is life. It is our 
home.
  When you look at the rim of the Earth from space, you see a thin 
little film, and that is the atmosphere that sustains all of life. From 
space, the Earth looks so beautiful and yet it looks so fragile. From 
that experience of 17 years ago, it made me want to be all the more a 
better steward of this planet, particularly when, with the naked eye, 
from that altitude I could actually see, for example, coming across 
South America--with the color contrast--the destruction of the rain 
forest in the upper Amazon region and, from the same window of the 
spacecraft, see the results of that destruction. Looking to the east, 
to the mouth of the Amazon River, I could see the silt that discolored 
the waters of the Atlantic for hundreds of miles.
  I give you that backdrop purely as an intro to tell you that when we 
face a major change in climate, it is going to have devastating effects 
on the very delicate ecological balance that we have on this Earth.
  Clearly, one of the places that would be most devastated would be my 
own State of Florida, which has more coastline than any other State. 
The rising of the temperatures would cause the rising of the oceans. 
The scientific community, that has been fairly unanimous on this--
despite what you hear in this debate, that there is this disagreement 
in the scientific community--it is overwhelming in the scientific 
community that what is going to happen is that the oceans are going to 
rise.
  Can you imagine what that is going to do to a place such as my State 
of Florida, where most of the development in the State is along the 
coastline? With the rise of the temperatures, that means the storms are 
going to be more ferocious and frequent.
  Florida is this land we know as paradise, that is a peninsula that 
sticks down in the middle of something we know as ``Hurricane 
Highway.'' The storms are going to become more ferocious and frequent, 
and the plagues are going to be more intense.
  If that is not enough for passing this legislation and blunting the 
critics of this legislation--you would think that argument would stand 
on its own, but there is even more. And I must say, I was delighted, in 
the hearing we had in our Commerce Committee on this issue, to see, for 
the first time, some American insurance companies step up and say this 
is going to be a problem.
  In the past, European companies have stepped up. But now subsidiaries 
of those companies, doing business in America, are acknowledging the 
same thing, that it will have devastating effects upon our business 
climate here in this country.
  For example, the reinsurance company, Swiss Re--this is their quote 
from our Commerce Committee hearing:

       Swiss Re believes the best way to lessen potential loss is 
     through sound public policy, utilizing market mechanisms 
     which strike the right balance between environmental 
     precaution and societal policy objectives.

  Because the person testifying for Swiss Re said, ``Climate change 
driven natural disasters are forecasted to cost

[[Page 26562]]

the world's financial centers as much as $150 billion per year over the 
next 10 years,'' that should be sufficient reason for us to stop 
putting our heads in the sand and saying global warming is not a 
problem. We know it is a problem environmentally. Now we have to 
recognize that it is going to be a major problem with regard to 
American business and all of the investments we have, particularly 
since so much of our urbanized area is along the coast of the United 
States.
  So, Mr. President, I wanted, as one voice, who strongly supports the 
McCain-Lieberman legislation, to speak in favor of it.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Who yields time?
  Mr. CRAIG addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I yield up to 10 minutes to Senator Craig.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized for 10 minutes.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, as many of my colleagues in the Senate 
know, I have been fascinated and awed by the complexity of the climate 
change issue for quite some time.
  Certainly, being born and raised in the high desert region of the 
State of Idaho located in the rugged and majestic Pacific Northwest, I 
grew up with reverence for the natural beauty of our world and a deep 
respect for the awesome power of nature.
  I have stated several times on the floor of the Senate that climate 
change is one of the most significant issues of our time. I have not 
changed my view.
  I come to the floor of the Senate today to both compliment my 
colleagues, Senators McCain and Lieberman, for their determination to 
legislatively address the issue of climate change and to object to the 
manner in which they have chosen to do so.
  Their proposal, S. 139, The Climate Stewardship Act, is portrayed by 
its proponents to be a modest legislative attempt to reduce emissions 
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
  It is hard for me accept the word ``modest'' as an accurate 
descriptive term for the legislation when I measure the bill by what it 
does--it regulates carbon dioxide--a gas that is not a criteria 
pollutant under the Clean Air Act is not a poisonous gas or toxic 
substance, and does not represent a direct threat to public health.
  When I decided to enter politics, I was guided by a deep belief in 
personal freedom--the maximum amount possible for the citizens of our 
Nation that is consistent with an orderly society.
  By freedom I mean the opportunity to achieve one's true potential, 
whether as an individual, a community, or a business. Freedom spawns 
discovery and innovation and in turn discovery and innovation solve 
problems and create opportunities. Regulation is the antithesis of 
freedom. It certainly retards, if not completely extinguishes our 
natural desire to discover and be innovative, and yet, we, as a Nation, 
seem more and more inclined to willingly accept the form of a 
regulatory state.
  I am periodically awed by the prescience of Alexis de Tocqueville's 
1839 work--``Democracy in America.'' In Part II of Chapter 6, 
Tocqueville voiced perhaps his greatest concern for the future 
conditions of American democracy.
  In general terms, he said that democracies have a sort of soft 
``despotism'' to fear. That is, conditions of democracy include toward 
men's equality, and in that equality, the government takes care of all 
of man's necessities, needs, and desires, in order to maintain this 
patterned equality among men. Tocqueville's description of this ``soft 
despotism'' aptly describes the modern regulatory state.
  I note that there are 2,620 pages in the 1936 Federal Register, a 
year after the Federal Register Act was passed in 1935. In the Federal 
Register for the year 2000, there are 74,258.
  A quote from Chapter 6 of Tocqueville's work is quite pertinent to 
our discussion here. In discussing the regulatory threat, he states:

       That power is absolute, thoughtful of detail, orderly, 
     provident, and gentle . . . It provides for their security, 
     foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their 
     pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their 
     industry, makes rules for their testaments, and divides their 
     inheritances . . . Thus it makes the exercise of free choice 
     less useful and rare, restricts the activity of free will 
     within a narrower compass, and little by little robs each 
     citizen of the proper use of his own faculties.

  Tocqueville goes on to note that regulation:

     is not at all tyrannical, but it hinders, restrains, 
     enervates, stifles, and stultifies so much that in the end 
     each nation is no more than a flock of timid and hardworking 
     animals with the government as its shepherd.

  Now, let me be clear, regulation, indeed, has its place. But this 
extremely powerful Government tool should be employed only as a last 
resort after facts developed by a comprehensive and systematic analysis 
clearly indicate that it is necessary to protect the public welfare.
  It is with this analytical perspective that I have reviewed carefully 
the underlying scientific and economic support for this bill, S. 139.
  The bill assumes that there is currently a definitive scientific 
basis for imposing a regulatory structure on industry. I am unable to 
agree with that basic assumption. There is no definitive evidence 
supporting regulation. Surface temperatures have warmed. We are not 
sure why. Since the mid-1990s, I have paid close attention to the 
developing science on global warming.
  Indeed, I have organized and attended meetings at scientific research 
venues, set-up and participated in numerous conference calls with 
scientists from the National Academy of Sciences, and, along with the 
Board of the NAS convened a high level conference at the Academy's 
headquarters in Washington, DC to discuss the state of the science on 
global warming.
  That conference, held on June 6, 2001, was a marvelous opportunity to 
talk with eleven scientists that included several Nobel Laureates who 
just finished responding to the now well publicized ``Key Questions'' 
request of President Bush.
  We couldn't have had better timing for such a conference and the 
conference was set up solely to address concerns of the U.S. Senate.
  Yet there were only two other Senators besides myself who made the 
effort to attend. Senators Bingaman and Sessions joined me, former 
Treasury Secretary O'Neill and former Chairman of the President's 
Council of Economic Advisors, Glenn Hubbard.
  I can say to all in the Chamber today that the forum was a veritable 
feast for the mind and wonderfully successful in explaining matters of 
extraordinary scientific complexity. But it had to be quite a 
disappointment for the Academy. Only three U.S. Senators took the time 
to attend.
  The National Academy made extraordinary efforts to get Members of the 
Senate to attend its intensive Climate Science Forum, including sending 
a letter one month in advance of the forum to each Member of the 
Senate, followed by a personal phone call to each Senate office.
  What more could the Academy have done to encourage attendance? I 
don't think much else could have been done.
  For some, it appears contentment on the science issue comes from 
simply learning about it from media reports contained in newspapers and 
popular magazines. Is that a fair knowledge base for regulation?
  Indeed, a little over a year before the NAS conference I organized 
and attended, with Senator Lincoln Chafee and former Senator Bob Smith, 
a meeting of over 30 scientists working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic 
Institute in Woods Hole, MA, to discuss the state of science on climate 
change.
  Again, I could tweak the interest of only a handful of Members to 
join me at that excellent scientific conference held exclusively for 
members of the United States Senate. This issue is too economically and 
environmentally important for Congress to continue to have only casual 
interest in its scientific complexity.
  Sure, there have been several congressional hearings during the last 
year debating different views of the science. But how much do we really

[[Page 26563]]

learn in a couple of hours under restrictive time limits for questions, 
particularly when we invite mostly ``advocates'' of a particular 
position, instead of objective scientists? Not much. Surely, not as 
much as we learned at reputable scientific forums.
  So, today, the Senate is asked to pass legislation that will regulate 
carbon dioxide, an emission that has no health impacts--we humans 
exhale it with every breath--and heretofore has never been listed as an 
``air pollutant.'' Stated simply, the scientific case for regulation is 
unpersuasive.
  Those Senators who assert that the science is settled are, in my 
opinion, simply wrong.
  The 2001 NAS Report on the ``Analysis of Some Key Questions,'' often 
quoted to establish the basis for regulatory action, contains a 
sentence that is often half-quoted, and I will read it here in its 
entirety:

       The changes observed over the last several decades are 
     likely mostly due to human activities, but we cannot rule out 
     that some significant part of these changes is also a 
     reflection of natural variability.

  This is the third sentence in the summary at the very beginning of 
the report.
  Even a cursory reading of the report indicates that the uncertainties 
are real and they are significant. Indeed, the report uses the words 
``uncertain'' and ``uncertainty'' 43 times in its 28 pages.
  Some press accounts have said that this report acknowledged a dire, 
near term threat to the environment from climate change. This is not 
true.
  One of the conclusions of the Report was that:

     [a] causal linkage between the buildup of greenhouse gases in 
     the atmosphere and the observed climate changes during the 
     20th Century cannot be unequivocally established.

  Natural variations in climate that occur over decades and even 
centuries have been identified by the NAS as also playing a role in 
climate change, and so it is not correct to say that this problem 
results only from human activities, or that reduction of emissions of 
heat-trapping gases will entirely solve it.
  Mr. President, 2 years before the NAS prepared its 2001 ``Analysis of 
Some Key Questions'' it issued one of this country's most comprehensive 
reports on climate change science entitled: ``Research Pathways for the 
Next Decade.''
  The Pathways report is short on creative literature and long on 
technical issue framing--not particularly suitable for catchy media 
headlines, which may explain why many newspapers showed little interest 
in its existence or import. But its critical and thorough scientific 
analysis of the current state of our climate change knowledge is what 
makes the Pathways report so important to policy makers.
  Now, if you are like me and you find out that America's National 
Research Council has just published the most comprehensive report in 
history on the state of Climate Science, you don't want to read all 550 
pages!
  You want to cut to the chase and read the report's bottom line 
conclusion. And the last thing you want is a report that provides more 
questions than answers.
  But the Pathways Report authors are brutally honest. To best explain 
the current state of climate science they had no choice but to lay out 
a whole series of potentially show-stopping questions.
  Let me stop for a moment and reflect on my trip to Woods Hole, MA, 
that I mentioned earlier. I spent a day at the Oceanographic Institute 
exploring these questions with over 30 scientists. It was a real eye-
opening experience.
  Dr. Berrien Moore, who coordinated the publication of the Pathways 
Report, helped lead a discussion on where science and public policy 
intersect.
  Two themes came through clearly in those discussions:
  No. 1, there are significant gaps in scientific understanding of the 
way oceans and the atmosphere interact to affect climate; and
  No. 2, scientists need more data, especially from the oceans to 
better understand and predict possible changes.
  It was humbling to get a glimpse of how much we don't know.
  You need to know what is in the ``Pathways Report'' in order to fully 
understand the Research Council's ``Analysis of Some Key Questions''--
if read objectively, I think you will find that both Reports are 
consistent--both highlight the uncertainty of our current understanding 
of climate science.
  Another important point to highlight is that the United Nations 
Framework Convention on Climate Change does not define what is meant by 
``dangerous interference with the climate system'' nor does it specify 
a ``dangerous'' level of greenhouse gas concentrations.
  To my knowledge, no Federal or federally supported scientific entity 
has firmly established what is a ``dangerous'' level of greenhouse gas. 
We simply don't know!
  Recently, James Schlesinger, a former Secretary of Energy under 
President Jimmy Carter stated in the Washington Post:

       We cannot tell how much of the recent warming trend can be 
     attributed to the greenhouse effect and how much to other 
     factors. In climate change, we have only a limited grasp of 
     the overall forces at work. Uncertainties have continued to 
     abound--and must be reduced. Any approach to policy formation 
     under conditions of such uncertainty should be taken only on 
     an exploratory and sequential basis. A premature commitment 
     to a fixed policy can only proceed with fear and trembling.

  The President understands that reality.
  The administration's Scientific Strategic Plan for climate change 
research is a valuable effort to develop a framework for acquiring and 
applying knowledge of the Earth's global environment through research 
and observations. It is a long overdue decision and should be welcomed 
by all.
  The President's approach is most prudent. At this time, it is my 
preferred option over regulation. Despite claims to the contrary, no 
government administration has aggressively pursued a voluntary action 
program. The President's plan is well conceived and deserves a chance.
  The simply truth is that any cap-and-trade scheme is a hidden tax on 
consumption. Like a tax, it would raise the cost of production.
  Moreover, a cap-and-trade on CO2 emissions will be a 
regressive tax which will hurt those on low or fixed income--that is 
the poor and elderly--disproportionately. I will submit for the record 
a letter sent to me as Chairman of the Aging Committee from ``The 60 
Plus Association'' with membership of 4.5 million senior citizens 
including 10,000 in Idaho, asking me to oppose S. 139.
  A quote from a June, 2001 CBO study entitled ``An Evaluation of Cap-
and-Trade Programs for Reducing U.S. Carbon Emissions'' is revealing on 
this subject:

       This analysis does not address the issue of taxing carbon 
     emissions. However, the economic impacts of cap-and-trade 
     programs would be similar to those of a carbon tax: both 
     would raise the cost of using carbon-based fuels, lead to 
     higher energy prices, and impose costs on users and some 
     suppliers of energy.

  Another instructive quote from that study states:

       The higher prices for energy and energy-intensive products 
     that would result from a cap-and-trade program would reduce 
     the real income that people received from working and 
     investing, thus tending to discourage them from productive 
     activity. That would compound the fact that existing taxes on 
     capital and labor already discourage economic activity.

  The only way to reduce CO2 emissions from powerplants is 
to reduce the amount of coal, oil or natural gas consumed at the power 
plant.
  Placing a cap on CO2 emissions from powerplants means 
those plants simply will not be able to generate any significant 
amounts of new electricity. There are no control technologies like 
selective catalytic reduction or scrubbers for CO2.
  Capping CO2 emissions from power plants will make the 
current crisis in electricity markets permanent. It will force 
shuttering of most of U.S. coal fired steam electric generation 
prematurely and will essentially mandate reliance on new natural gas 
fired power plants without any assurance that adequate gas supplies 
will be available.
  Further, a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found 
that

[[Page 26564]]

reductions of SO2, NOX, and CO2 at 
levels consistent with the current proposal drives up electricity costs 
substantially. The report shows that electricity prices would rise by 
21 percent by 2005 and 55 percent by 2010.
  The report goes on to attribute most of the rise in prices to 
controlling CO2 emissions.
  The report, Mr. President, also was prepared when natural gas prices 
were a third of what they are today which means that future electricity 
prices likely would be much higher because the report assumes that most 
new generating capacity would be gas fired.
  The last point that must be addressed is the assertion that the 
United States is somehow out of step with the rest of the world on this 
issue. Climate change is as much an economic issue as it is an 
environmental issue. We must ensure that our global competitiveness is 
not compromised. Let's not allow our nation to be duped into assisting 
our competitors in the global market to achieve competitive advantage 
under the subterfuge of environmental policy. When viewed in 
comparative perspective, the process by which environmental policy is 
developed and implemented has been far more ``conflictual and 
adversarial'' in the United States than in Europe or Japan. In the 
U.S., while fines for violations have grown larger, numerous violations 
of environmental laws have been reclassified as ``felonies'' and many 
now carry prison sentences.
  Contrast this with Europe and Japan. Japan implements its policies 
without resorting to legal coercion or overt enforcement. Japanese MUST 
negotiate and compromise to ensure compliance. Europe emphasizes mutual 
problem-solving rather than arm's length enforcement and punishment.
  Our legal system allows Third Party lawsuits. Europe and Asian 
countries do not. In a 2003 study on the direct costs of the U.S. Tort 
system, it was estimated that costs equal 2.2 percent of our nations 
GDP. Europe and Asian countries give no standing to Third Parties in 
environmental compliance and enforcement cases.
  Perhaps, if we were a less litigious nation, we could accomplish more 
in environmental compliance, and be less fearful of international 
environmental treaties becoming law. However, for better or worse, when 
our nation commits to a particular environmental policy, we enforce 
that commitment with the heavy hammer of civil penalties and criminal 
prosecution. Europe, Japan, and other nations do not. Our global 
competitiveness and economic security is ``in the balance.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter from a large 
senior citizen organization expressing their fear about high costs of 
energy based on S. 139 be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


                                      The 60 Plus Association,

                                  Arlington, VA, October 28, 2003.
     Hon. Larry E. Craig,
     Chairman, Senate Special Committee on Aging,
     Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Craig: As Chairman of the Senate Special 
     Committee on Aging, you are a proven fighter for seniors. 
     Accordingly, I'd like to bring to your attention legislation 
     that, if enacted, would be very detrimental to the elderly.
       We are very much opposed to S 139, the Climate Stewardship 
     Act, which seeks to do by statute much of what the 
     discredited Kyoto Protocol would have done by treaty. (The 
     Kyoto Protocol was rejected by you and your Senate colleagues 
     in 1997 by a 95-0 vote.) S 139 would seriously adds to the 
     costs of both electricity and gasoline for seniors and others 
     on a fixed income.
       According to a June 2003 report by the Energy Information 
     Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy, this 
     legislation would increase electricity rates by 46%, natural 
     gas prices by 79%, and the cost of gasoline by as much as 40 
     cents a gallon.
       Seniors on a fixed income are least able to afford these 
     higher prices.
       During the cold winter months, many seniors must choose 
     between staying warm and having enough food to eat and 
     medicine to stay healthy. And in the heat of the summer, an 
     inability to cool a home can be a death sentence to the 
     elderly.
       The very last thing public policies should do is to add to 
     the costs of electricity and natural gas for the elderly. 
     Likewise, many seniors and their families must be able to 
     afford gasoline to be able to get to their doctor's office, 
     grocery store, and pharmacy.
       Government mandates which increase the costs of 
     electricity, natural gas, and gasoline are tantamount to a 
     tax on those least able to pay it.
       On behalf of 4.5 million seniors, including nearly 10,000 
     in Idaho, please do everything you can to prevent S. 139 from 
     being passed.
           Cordially,
                                                  James L. Martin,
                                                        President.

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I have come to the floor on more than one 
occasion over the last 5 years to discuss and debate the issue of 
climate change. Many of us engaged in this issue believe it to be a 
serious and important issue. That I cannot deny. The Senator from 
Florida talked about it being of critical character. I do not dispute 
that. The question is, Can we do anything about it and are we the cause 
of it? And I am speaking ``we'' as mankind. That is the essence of the 
debate today.
  Also, S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act, would portray, in part, 
that we are the cause and, therefore, let us make some moderate 
adjustment changes in our regulatory structure in this country to begin 
to mitigate greenhouse gases.
  Let me suggest that the word ``modest'' has been used, but I would 
guess if you read the legislation, and then you downstreamed it through 
the regulatory process, it might be anything less than modest.
  Here is what is most important about regulating carbon dioxide. It is 
a gas. It is not a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. It is not a 
poisonous gas or a toxic substance. It does not represent a direct 
threat to public health. That is what scientists tell us. Yet somehow 
we are going to be able to regulate and shape it in a way that controls 
what we believe to be the cause of producing greenhouse gas.
  I suggest that probably the most invasive process we are going 
through right here with this legislation is the regulatory process that 
will ultimately come.
  The Senator from Arizona and I, more often than not, are critics of 
big government and the regulatory process. What De Tocqueville said a 
good number of years ago--in fact, well over a century ago--was about 
the great democracy of America and the despotism of fear that is 
produced in the regulatory process that limits freedom.
  He talks about the regulatory process as being soft despotism.
  I note that in 1936, there were about 2,600 pages of the Federal 
Register. In the year 2000, there were 74,258 pages of the Federal 
Register. We have become a phenomenally regulated and controlled 
economy and country. In so doing, de Tocqueville would note very 
clearly, as we all understand and as the Senator from Arizona 
understands as well as anyone, we begin to shape our freedoms, control 
our freedoms in a very interesting way. That is what this bill is all 
about, a massive new regulatory process to reshape certain utilizations 
of energy in a way that will have a significant impact on our economy. 
And we would be led to believe that somehow it is going to improve the 
environment in which we live.
  That is the issue at hand. That is the one that we now need to 
discuss. That is, does scientific evidence support what S. 139 is all 
about.
  I have spent a good deal of time on the science. You have to. That is 
probably the greatest frustration that all of us have, is trying to 
comprehend this massive body of science that is assembling out there 
and what it means and is it valid and, from it, should we begin to 
reshape our economy; if it is invalid or inaccurate, what would be the 
impact of the reshaping that S. 139 might accomplish.
  Organized meetings have been held all over. I organized one with the 
assistance of the National Academy of Sciences in June 2001. It was a 
high-level conference meeting here in our Nation's Capital. Every 
Senator was invited to come. Three showed up. Only three showed up to 
listen. Senator Bingaman and Senator Sessions attended, along with 
Secretary O'Neill, to listen to the President and the President's 
Council of Economic Advisers, to listen to some of our noted scientists 
from all over the world. No one

[[Page 26565]]

else came. O'Neill at that time was serving as Secretary of the 
Treasury and was a somewhat outspoken advocate of changing our economy 
for the sake of climate change. He went away from that meeting not 
confused but recognizing that there was a broad field of science out 
there that he had not yet explored and that scientists had not, in 
fact, come together in a way to understand.
  We worked with a variety of scientists from the National Academy of 
Scientists. In 2000, I went up to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. 
Senator Chafee and Senator Bob Smith went along at that time. We 
listened to the best scientists out there, scientists who have studied 
this for decades. They cannot in any absolute way suggest that 
greenhouse gases are the creator of a heating trend or a warming trend 
that does exist and most agree does exist.
  The Senator from Arizona, the authors of S. 139, would suggest that 
this is the definitive document, the ``Analysis of Some Key 
Questions,'' of climate change science by the National Research 
Council. This is a total of 27, 28 pages. I am not saying this document 
is wrong, but I am saying, to understand this document, you better read 
this document: ``Pathways Study,'' 550 pages. Now, it is not a hot 
topic, and it will put you to sleep. It is all science. From this 
document, they concluded this document.
  And what does this document conclude? That the science today is not 
yet assembled that can in any definitive way argue that greenhouse 
gases and man's presence in the production of those greenhouse gases is 
creating the heating trend in our global environment at this time.
  There are not many sound bites here. The press did ignore this. Those 
who want the politics of this issue largely ignored this document. But 
they must go hand in glove. I am not a critic of this document at all. 
I have not read all of them, not all 550 pages. But I have thumbed 
through a lot of it. I have read a good deal of it. Anyone who wants to 
be the advocate of climate change darn well better read the bible on it 
first before they conclude that all of the world's scientists have come 
together with a single statement to suggest that the global warming we 
are experiencing can be in any way clearly the product of the 
production of greenhouse gas around this globe and as a part of it.
  Because we have not totally understood it yet, there is no question 
that we ought to try to understand it before we begin to craft a 
massive body of regulation to reshape the economy, all in the name of 
climate change. That is what the President understood. That is why the 
President denounced Kyoto.
  The administration's strategic scientific plan for climate change 
research is a valuable effort to build the body of science that can 
truly allow those of us as policymakers a foundation from which to make 
the right choices. If we fail to make the right choices, if we head 
this massive regulatory effort in the wrong direction without 
question--and many have spoken to it over the last few hours--we could 
badly damage, if not curtail, much of the growth in our economy.
  I think the effort that is underway ought to be the preferred option 
over regulation. Voluntary action based on clear evidence is a much 
preferred way to go.
  Let me talk for a moment about economic impact because that 
ultimately is the issue. S. 139 wants to change our country, wants to 
change the utilization of carbon and the emission of gases. You do it 
through a regulatory process. Between 1990 and the year 2000, 
industrial GDP increased 35 percent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. CRAIG. The reality is, our industrial growth is climbing. Its 
emissions have rapidly dropped. The emission today of greenhouse-like 
gases, as we would argue, do not come from our industrial base. Yet 
this is where we send our regulatory effort.
  I oppose the legislation. I hope the Senate will vote against it.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished 
Senator from New Jersey.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey is recognized.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I thank Senators Lieberman and McCain 
for developing this amendment. It makes sense. Mr. President, I rise to 
speak in support of the Lieberman/McCain bill. This bill offers a 
reasonable, proven, market-based approach to addressing the problem of 
global warming. It establishes a greenhouse gas ``cap and trade'' 
system which is modeled on the most successful pollution reduction 
program ever--enacted the Acid Rain Program.
  Since 1980, that program has reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 40 
percent--despite significant economic growth during that period. I say, 
it's about time.
  A few years ago I traveled to Antarctica and I saw the effects of 
global warming firsthand. The Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves are 
melting. Over 1,250 square miles of ice have broken off and melted in 
just the last few years. Scientists believe these massive ice shelves 
have stood undisturbed for 12,000 years. Now they are gone. Many of us 
were dismayed but not surprised by the report last month of the breakup 
of the Arctic's largest ice shelf.
  It is stunning that some of the world's glaciers have lost as much as 
70 percent of their ice. Why is all this ice melting? Because, as 
literally thousands of climate scientists have reported--the earth is 
heating up! Yes, global warming is real and America should be leading 
the international community in addressing it--not lagging behind. The 
scientific discoveries on climate change are nothing short of 
astonishing. Ice core samples from Greenland and the Antarctica show 
that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are at their highest 
level in the last one million years. In the Arctic, the permafrost is 
melting. The average thickness of the arctic ice shelf has decreased by 
a staggering 40 percent, just since 1950.
  All that melting ice is steadily raising sea levels. Globally, the 
sea has risen between 4 and 8 inches. This impact is particularly 
damaging to flat coastlines like in Texas where the relative sea level 
has already risen from 8 to 10 inches. From primitive thermometer 
readings to the analysis of tree rings and coral reefs, the evidence is 
clear: this last century has been the hottest in the last 1,000 years.
  The evidence of profound climactic change continues to mount. A study 
published last January in Nature--probably the most respected 
scientific journal in the world--reported some remarkable discoveries. 
It reported that of 1,700 habitats studied, 370 are moving northward. 
The habitat of the Red Fox has moved 600 miles to the north in the last 
30 years. Frightening disease vectors, such as the mosquito which 
carries the deadly West Nile Virus, are pushing into North America. 
Perhaps most ominous of all, night time temperatures are rising. 
Medical authorities tell us that this lack of relief from elevated 
temperatures at nighttime is a chief reason that 500 to 700 people died 
in Chicago during the 1995 heat wave.
  While the Federal Government sits fiddling, States are not waiting 
for Rome to burn. At least 27 States--more than half--have started 
their own programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to 
David Danner, the energy adviser for the State of Washington, States 
are moving ahead to fill the vacuum left by the Federal Government. 
Danner said, ``We hope to see the problem addressed at the federal 
level, but we're not waiting around.'' A number of those States have 
initiated reasonable regulatory programs that will soon begin to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions. The Federal Government should be leading this 
effort, but isn't. At the very least, we should start catching up. 
Surely, none of us here doubt the United States possesses the capacity 
and the skill to confront global warming? I for one, do not.
  Now is the time to harness America's ingenuity and skills and tackle 
global climate change. I have to ask: What is there about the facts of 
global warming that makes the administration duck for cover?

[[Page 26566]]

  We cannot ``spin'' our way out of the impacts of global warming. But 
that is the strategy the opponents of this bill are pursuing. Look at 
this chart: Republican pollster Frank Luntz is urging his side to call 
it ``climate change'' not global warming, because ``climate change'' is 
``less frightening.'' The implication here is that people won't demand 
immediate action on something that is ``less frightening'' and ``more 
controllable.'' How irresponsible. No matter how much word-smithing 
that's done, no matter how much faux science the other side uses--that 
will not change the true, consensus, peer-reviewed science that has 
accumulated for 30 years.
  The ominous impacts of Global Warming affect our health, affect our 
safety, and effect our economy. These impacts will not simply go away 
because we turn a blind eye to the facts and pretend the climate is not 
changing. In 2002, the National Research Council reported on the 
science of global warming. It said:

       Greenhouse gases are accumulating in earth's atmosphere as 
     a result of human activities. National policy decisions made 
     now and in the longer-term will influence the extent of the 
     damage suffered by vulnerable human populations and 
     ecosystems later in this century.

  Clearly, the decisions we make here and now will determine how much 
``damage'' is inflicted on our children and our grandchildren. The 
National Research Council represents the brain trust of the most 
educated country in the world. If we cannot believe the Council, who 
can we believe?
  Global warming poses a clear and present danger to us all. The global 
warming bandwagon is getting full--and the President would be smart to 
get on it. A partial list of those who urge market-based action now, 
includes: 2,500 eminent economists from MIT, Yale, Harvard, Stanford 
and other top universities, including eight Nobel Laureates who said, 
``a market-based policy could achieve its climatic objectives at 
minimum cost.''
  Major corporations, including the petroleum giant BP--which has 
already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent below its 1990 
levels--and saved $600 million in energy costs doing it.
  Last night we heard from Senators who were repeating the scare 
propaganda that is circulating about higher fuel prices. But what is 
more reliable, guesses about the future or a record of the past? If BP, 
DuPont and other major corporations can save money by reducing their 
greenhouse gases--surely they rest of the country can also. Other 
supporters of a market-based approach include Silicon Valley investors, 
multi-religion interfaith groups, the world's largest re-insurance 
company, a bipartisan group of 155 mayors--the list goes on and on.
  I urge my colleagues: let's be the leaders we were elected to be. 
Let's act now and vote for the Lieberman/McCain bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I yield 7 minutes to probably the best 
informed Senator who was the chairman of the Governor's clean air 
committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I wish to comment on some of the 
statements made by my distinguished colleague, Senator Lieberman, 
during the debate last night.
  Senator Lieberman was correct when he said concerns about climate 
change and atmospheric concentrations of carbon are widespread and 
bipartisan. He was also right when he said that support for increasing 
our scientific understanding of this issue and reducing atmospheric 
concentration of carbon is widespread and bipartisan.
  However, I note that opposition to the language offered by Senator 
Lieberman and Senator McCain is both widespread and bipartisan, 
including labor and management.
  The bill is opposed by a large number of stakeholders, including the 
Chemistry Council, the American Farm Bureau, the American Health Care 
Association, the American Highway Uses Alliance, the American Iron and 
Steel Institute, the National Association of Corn Growers, and the 
National Association of Wheat Growers, and the list goes on of the 
organizations opposed to this legislation.
  The legislation is also opposed by a large number of labor unions, 
including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; the International 
Brotherhood of Boilermakers; the Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, 
Forgers, and Helpers; the International Brotherhood of Electrical 
Workers; the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; the Marine 
Engineers Beneficial Association; the United Food and Commercial 
Workers International Union; the United Mine Workers of America; the 
United Transportation Union; the Utility Workers Union of America; and 
several locals of the United Steelworkers of America.
  I also note that Senator Lieberman stated that over 75 percent of 
people in a recent poll support this language. I would argue if these 
people had been told of the negative effects of this legislation on 
heating and electrical costs and the loss of jobs, the results of that 
poll would have been much different.
  As I discussed last night, Thomas Mullen of Catholic Charities 
testified last year against the Lieberman-Jeffords bill saying it would 
have a devastating impact in significantly higher heating prices on the 
poor and elderly. I also point out that the Department of Energy has 
stated that high energy costs consume a disproportionately large share 
of the income of the poor and elderly on fixed incomes. They are left 
out of this debate.
  I would also like to address statements by Senator McCain and Senator 
Lieberman that because they offered a substitute to their original 
version of S. 139, all the comments and analyses cited by opponents of 
this bill, including myself, are irrelevant. That statement could not 
be further from the truth.
  I refer to a letter I recently received from many of the stakeholders 
against S. 139:

       The undersigned commercial, industrial, small business and 
     agricultural organizations strongly urge you to oppose S. 
     139, the Climate Stewardship Act, or any substitute that may 
     be offered by its sponsors, Senators Joe Lieberman and John 
     McCain, when this measure comes before the Senate. As they 
     proclaimed, the vote on S. 139 (or its substitute) will be a 
     test vote on the most appropriate response to concerns about 
     our changing climate.
       Among all the policy options available to the Congress to 
     improve our understanding of climate systems, the arbitrary 
     imposition of energy rationing as embodied in S. 139 is one 
     of the worst possible options the Senate could choose for 
     farmers, industry, the poorest of Americans, and the economy 
     as a whole.

  I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                 October 22, 2003.
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator: The undersigned commercial, industrial, small 
     business and agricultural organizations strongly urge you to 
     oppose S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act, or any substitute 
     that may be offered by its sponsors, Senators Joe Lieberman 
     and John McCain, when this measure comes before the Senate. 
     As they have proclaimed, the vote on S. 139 (or its 
     substitute) will be a test vote on the most appropriate 
     response to concerns about our changing climate.
       Among all the policy options available to the Congress to 
     improve our understanding of climate systems, the arbitrary 
     imposition of energy rationing as embodied in S. 139 is one 
     of the worst possible options the Senate could choose for 
     farmers, industry, the poorest of Americans and the economy 
     as a whole. The Energy Information Administration projects 
     that electricity prices alone would increase 46 percent and 
     the price of gasoline would rise by 40 cents per gallon if 
     this legislation were adopted.
       When S. 139 is brought up in the Senate under the July 31 
     unanimous consent agreement, the sponsors of S. 139 will be 
     permitted to offer an amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute. They have announced that, in order to increase 
     votes for their proposal, this substitute will eliminate the 
     bill's unrealistic second phase objective of limiting 
     greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 to 1990 emissions levels. 
     However, make no mistake about it; the equally unrealistic 
     first phase of S. 139's reduction mandate of limiting 2010 
     emission levels to levels of 2000 will, by itself, highly 
     destructive to jobs and prosperity.
       The sponsors of S. 139 have stated that the first phase of 
     greenhouse gas reductions in their bill would ``only require 
     a 1\1/2\ percent reduction from today's greenhouse gas 
     levels.'' However, the Energy Information Administration 
     projects that emissions levels

[[Page 26567]]

     in 2010 would have to be reduced by 14 percent in order to 
     achieve the 2000 emission levels quota set by S. 139's first 
     deadline of 2010. Moreover, S. 139's first phase of 
     reductions would require the economy to have to make 
     additional cuts in fossil energy use every year following 
     2010, simply to stay under the 2000 emissions cap in the face 
     of increasing demand for more energy from a growing 
     population and economy. Thus, meeting S. 139's first 
     emissions cap would cause increasing, major economic 
     disruptions for farmers, businesses, industry and the poorest 
     Americans who can least afford higher electricity and natural 
     gas price increases in the future. The modified bill will 
     also result in the export of countless additional 
     manufacturing jobs; a unbearable prospect in light of the 
     more than 2.8 million jobs the manufacturing sector has 
     already lost since the summer of 2000.
       Addressing the climate change issue does not have to come 
     at the expense of the American economy. Voluntary emissions 
     reduction measures and innovative ideas for market-based 
     incentive programs are needed in the near-term, while 
     progress continues to be made in perfecting new technologies 
     to improve efficiency and sequester greenhouse gases. The 
     Senate/House energy conference report on H.R. 6 is expected 
     to contain many provisions to increase energy efficiency; 
     provide incentives for renewable fuel use, nuclear energy and 
     clean coal technologies; and expand energy research and 
     development programs. The Senate does not need to resort to 
     S. 139's command-and-control rationing program to address 
     energy policy.
       Finally, S. 139 or its substitute would force electric 
     generators to switch from coal to natural gas in order to 
     meet the limits of the bill. The repercussions of a Senate 
     vote to support S. 139 or its substitute cannot be 
     understated. Any indication that the Senate favors coal-
     switching to natural gas will immediately influence many 
     investment decisions that will affect, not just the future of 
     natural gas prices for all consumers, but the very 
     availability of natural gas for industry in the future. A 
     vote for S. 139 or its substitute would contribute to the 
     current natural gas supply/demand imbalance and almost 
     immediately exacerbate the high natural gas prices and 
     occasional shortages that are already plaguing the economy.
       On behalf of the men and women in large and small 
     businesses in agriculture, commerce and industry who depend 
     on reasonably priced energy for a prosperous future for this 
     country, we urge you to oppose S. 139 and the sponsors' 
     substitute when this legislation is concerned by the Senate.
           Sincerely,
       Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
       American Boiler Manufacturers Association.
       American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute.
       American Farm Bureau Federation.
       American Iron and Steel Institute.
       Coalition for Affordable and Reliable Energy (CARE).
       Council of Industrial Boiler Owners.
       Edison Electric Institute.
       IPC--The Association Connecting Electronics Industries.
       National Association of Manufacturers.
       National Corn Growers Association.
       National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
       National Mining Association.
       National Oilseed Processors Association.
       National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.
       Portland Cement Association.
       Small Business Survival Committee.
       Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators.
       The Fertilizer Institute.
       The Industrial Energy Consumers of America.
       The Salt Institute.
       Toy Industry Association.
       U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, this legislation is the first step in 
our country toward participating in the Kyoto protocol at a time when 
Russia and Australia have indicated they will not ratify the treaty, 
and when China, India, Brazil, and South Korea are exempt because they 
are ``developing countries.''
  Our trade deficit with China alone is $103 billion. Yet supporters of 
this legislation want to shut down American plants and send American 
jobs overseas to these ``developing countries'' that do not have the 
environmental safeguards that we have in America. I can hear the giant 
sucking sound of jobs leaving our country every time I return to Ohio.
  Let me be perfectly clear, carbon caps are lethal to our economy. 
Carbon caps--any carbon caps--will cause a switch to burning coal with 
clean coal technology. That will cause fuel switching to natural gas. 
It will mean the end of manufacturing jobs in my State. It will send 
thousands of American jobs overseas and will significantly drive up 
natural gas and electricity prices and put millions of Americans out of 
work.
  Too many Americans have lost their jobs because we have not 
harmonized our energy and environmental policy in this country. We need 
a truly comprehensive energy policy that protects our environment while 
also protecting our energy security and our economy. We do not need 
legislation such as S. 139 that attempts to protect the environment 
while completely disregarding negative impacts on our energy security 
and economy.
  As I stated last night, I strongly oppose any legislation that will 
exacerbate the loss of jobs in my State and drive up the cost of energy 
for the least of our brethren, the poor and the elderly. I urge my 
colleagues to vote no on this legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I thank Senator Voinovich for making his 
statement. I will be specific. The amount of jobs in his State alone, 
if this passes, would be 178,000.
  For any other Members who want to know how their States will be 
affected, we have that breakdown. It is a study by Penn State 
University. I thank the Senator for his comments.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from 
New Mexico.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, 
Senator Lieberman, for yielding me time.
  Mr. President, I have heard three arguments against this legislation 
since I have been privileged to hear this debate. The first argument is 
there is no such thing as climate change. Climate change is a reality 
if we are to believe the scientists we hire or who are willing to 
advise us.
  A clear consensus of the scientific community is there is a change 
going on. The global climate is warming, and that is a fact.
  The second argument I have heard is, OK, even if there is such a 
thing as climate change, there is no real proof human activity is the 
cause of that climate change. Again, I point out the scientific 
community believes it. The scientific community says human activity 
over the last 150 years has been a major contributor to the problem. 
Most of these human activities that contribute to this problem relate 
to energy production and use. Carbon dioxide emissions account for 84 
percent of the annual emissions of greenhouse gases in the United 
States and 98 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions are associated 
with energy production or use.
  The third argument which I have heard this morning is we do not 
totally understand this issue and, therefore, the Congress should not 
be legislating. If we use that standard, we will not legislate on 
virtually any subject in this body. Clearly, we have to take the best 
information we have, make the best judgments we can, and then if we 
find we are in error, we can adjust our policies as we move forward.
  As the ranking member of the Energy Committee, I have argued 
repeatedly for the last several years that part of our national energy 
policy and part of the energy legislation we were trying to craft 
should be a recognition of the importance of climate change, and we 
should include in a bill some provision for dealing with climate change 
issues. Unfortunately, I am informed the energy conference that is 
still in existence, although it does not meet, will not include any 
language related to climate change, even though the bill the Senate 
produced does contain some provisions in that regard.
  This is an issue of global concern. It is sad that the United States 
is not leading this debate. We should have a leadership role, both 
because we have the capability to understand the science and to do the 
science, and the technology. We also have the capability to come up 
with an appropriate response. It is sad we are not doing that.
  This administration has totally failed to lead with regard to this 
issue. The President's plan to deal with the greenhouse gases has been 
little more

[[Page 26568]]

than a business-as-usual approach. The President's voluntary target of 
an 18 percent reduction in greenhouse gas intensity over the next 
decade sounds impressive until one looks at the data. The approach will 
allow climate-altering pollution to continue to climb as long as it 
increases more slowly than our economy grows.
  The voluntary commitments would meet a goal that are no more 
aggressive than business as usual. Greenhouse gas pollution intensity 
in the United States has been declining because the part of our economy 
that is growing the fastest is the service sector, which produces fewer 
greenhouse gases than manufacturing for certain. President Bush's 
voluntary approach will not change the trend in greenhouse gas 
emissions over what is likely to happen anyway, and it certainly does 
not put us on a path to reductions in the future.
  We have been trying a voluntary approach to reducing greenhouse 
pollution for almost a decade, and greenhouse gas emissions have 
actually increased 14 percent. Many of the commitments industry is 
making today are the same or similar to what these companies promised 
nearly a decade ago.
  While negotiations on an international framework to address global 
warming continue for the next several years, our domestic industry will 
have to make significant investment decisions on new energy 
infrastructure. We have no domestic framework on greenhouse gas 
emissions that would guide or even inform these investment decisions. 
Addressing these issues up front would reduce business costs and risks. 
Maintaining our present course will increase the probability of future 
economic losses and waste in the energy sector.
  This Climate Stewardship Act is a modest first step in trying to deal 
with this important issue. Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain deserve 
great credit for forcing this issue to be considered in the Senate 
today and to be voted on. They have put together an innovative 
framework that deserves our attention. It is unfortunate, frankly, that 
this bill was not able to receive the hearings in committee it 
deserves. The debate should be no longer about whether climate change 
is a reality, which is what we have been talking about on the Senate 
floor, but instead on how we can deal with it. Ideally, the debate we 
would be having on the Senate floor would be to consider amendments, to 
consider alternatives to this proposal, so we could come to grips with 
this very difficult issue. I would prefer to be offering amendments on 
ways in which the framework could be improved, but given the 
politicizing that has surrounded this scientific and environmental 
issue, I am left with only one option, and that is to vote for the bill 
and send a signal that the Senate must show leadership on climate 
change.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Who yields time?
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the Senator from 
New Hampshire, Mr. Sununu. I hope we will look very carefully at the 
chart he has. It is probably the most significant chart, other than the 
jobs chart we have.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, we have heard a number of speakers who I 
think have raised a number of important points. We have heard questions 
and discussions about the science of climate change. The science is 
important, and over time we hope to better understand the Earth's 
climate. I hope this is an area where we do research, where we can 
develop better models. It is one of the most complex areas of 
investigation.
  We have heard about the costs, both direct costs of this legislation 
that will increase energy costs for everyone in America, but also 
indirect costs, because other countries that have been mentioned by 
Senator Voinovich, for example, such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, 
or Australia, do not adopt such stringent controls on emissions, and 
they will benefit by American jobs moving overseas.
  In particular, it stands to reason in those areas of our economy that 
are most dependent on energy as an import, energy incentive industries 
like manufacturing, steel, smelting, and the like, those are the jobs 
that will be the first to go overseas.
  I want to speak about the environmental issue because if we look 
closely at the environmental impact of this legislation, it actually 
undermines the legislation. It shows its weakness and it illustrates 
why it should not be adopted. If we were to agree on the increase in 
temperature of the last 50 or 100 years, agree there was some 
relationship between manmade emissions of CO2 and that 
increase, and assume the full impact of the Climate Change Commission, 
the IPCC and the Kyoto protocols, let us look at what the environmental 
impact might be. This is a forecast of increasing temperatures over the 
next 50 years, a forecast projected increase of up to 1.2 degrees 
Celsius, maybe 2 degrees Fahrenheit. The benefits of Kyoto are 
enormously small, perhaps one or two-tenths of a degree Celsius. Over 
100 years, if the projected change is 4 or 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the 
impact of Kyoto might be four or five-tenths of one degree.
  The question is: What benefit would that provide at the significant 
economic costs that are not likely but certain? Supporters have pointed 
out their legislation, but our legislation is not as dramatic as Kyoto. 
It is not as harsh as Kyoto, and that means the environmental benefit 
will be even less.
  Questionable environmental benefit, enormous cost. I certainly urge 
my colleagues to vote no.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham of South Carolina). The Senator's 
time has expired. Who yields time?
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, how much time remains on each side?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Twenty minutes 59 seconds on the minority 
side; 17 minutes 11 seconds on the majority side.
  Mr. McCAIN. Who is the minority side?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Well, I do not know. That is a good question.
  Mr. McCAIN. How much time is controlled by Senator Inhofe and how 
much time is controlled by Senator Lieberman?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Senator Lieberman has 20 minutes 59 seconds.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield however much of the 10 minutes 
Senator McCain will eventually have as he wishes to consume now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I would like to use 8 minutes of my 10 
minutes.
  My favorite author is Ernest Hemingway, as he is of many millions of 
people throughout the world. One of his most famous short stories is 
entitled ``The Snows Of Kilimanjaro.'' At the beginning of the short 
story he says:

       Kilimanjaro is a snow covered mountain 19,710 feet high, 
     and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western 
     summit is called by the Masai ``Ngaje Ngaje,'' the House of 
     God. Close to the western summit there is the dried and 
     frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the 
     leopard was seeking at that attitude.

  As the photograph shows here, the snows of Kilimanjaro may soon exist 
only in literature.
  There has been a lot of debate here about the scientific evidence--
17,000 scientists say this, 10,000 scientists say that, my scientist 
says this--although clearly the National Academy of Sciences and other 
organizations including the World Meteorological Organization, I think, 
and others, should have some weight with my colleagues.
  If I might quote the punch line from an old joke, ``You can believe 
me or your lyin' eyes.''
  These are facts. These are facts that cannot be refuted by any 
scientist or any union or any special interest that is weighing in more 
heavily on this issue than any issue since we got into campaign finance 
reform.
  That is the Arctic Sea. That is the Arctic Sea. If you look at the 
red line, that is the boundary of it in 1979. Look at it now. You can 
believe me or your lyin' eyes.
  Look at Mount Kilimanjaro. That picture was taken in 1993. That 
picture was taken in February of the year 2000.

[[Page 26569]]

  All of us cherish our national parks. Have a look at the Glacier 
National Park, which will have to have its name changed. The picture 
above was taken in 1932. That is a glacier ice cake. This picture is 
from the Glacier National Park archives. That is from 1932. Look at it 
50 years later. It is not there. There will be no more glaciers in 
Glacier National Park, so we may have to give it a different name.
  We see devastating fires across California. It is very interesting 
that we have this debate while devastating fires, unprecedented in 
nature, are sweeping across California, fueled by unusual drought 
conditions. I don't have to tell people what the consequences of that 
are.
  An ice dam lake drained recently when the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, which 
a century ago rimmed the coast, broke up along the coast of northeast 
Canada. NASA has confirmed that part of the Arctic Ocean that remains 
frozen year round has been shrinking at a rate of 10 percent per decade 
since 1980. At a conference in Iceland in August, scientists told 
senior government officials the Arctic is heating up fast, disclosing 
disturbing figures from a massive study of polar climate change.
  Dr. Robert Corell, who heads the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment 
Team, said:

       If you want to see what will be happening in the rest of 
     the world 25 years from now, look at what is happening in the 
     Arctic.

  Destruction of 70 percent of heat-sensitive coral reefs, in the 
world--70 percent of the heat-sensitive coral reefs in the world due to 
increases in water temperatures--places reef fisheries in jeopardy. I 
don't know what happens when the beginning of the food chain 
disappears.
  There is increasing coastal damage from hurricanes. Researchers at 
the University of Texas, Wesleyan University, and Stanford University 
earlier this year reported in the journal Nature that global warming is 
forcing species around the world, from California starfish to alpine 
herbs, to move into new ranges or altered habitats that could disrupt 
ecosystems.
  In an article in the July 3 Journal of Hydrology, ``Winters In New 
England Are Getting Shorter,'' according to the USGS scientists, 
northern New England winters have receded by 1 to 2 weeks during the 
past 30 years.
  Paul Eckstine, Harvard Medical School:

       Concerns about climate change are often mistakenly placed 
     into the distant future but as the rate of climate change 
     increases, so do the biological responses and costs 
     associated with warming and unstable weather. The influence 
     of intensifying drought on the spread of west Nile virus in 
     the U.S., and the impacts of rising carbon dioxide levels on 
     allergies and asthma, demonstrate that global warming has 
     come into our backyards.

  Finally, Dr. Adare of the Climate Research Committee of the National 
Academy of Sciences, says:

       The planet has a fever and it is time to take action.

  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues not to listen so much to the 
opinions of labor unions, business special interests, or even 
scientists. Look at what is happening around the world. Use your eyes 
to see what is happening. The devastation wrought by climate change so 
far has been remarkable.
  There is a long series of happenings around the world. Key reports 
have been issued in the last few years by a number of bodies composed 
of the world's most eminent climate scientists, including the United 
Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Academy 
of Sciences, U.S. Global Change Research Program, and these experts all 
reached the same conclusions:
  No. 1. Greenhouse gasses are increasing in the atmosphere because of 
human activities and they are trapping increasingly more heat.
  No. 2. Increased amounts of greenhouse gases are projected to cause 
irreparable harm as they lead to increased global temperatures and 
higher sea levels.
  No. 3. The gases we emit to the atmosphere today will remain for 
decades or longer. Every time we emit now will require greater 
reductions later, making it more difficult to protect the environment.
  It is interesting to me that in July of the year 2003, Governor 
Pataki of New York announced that 9 States had formally agreed to join 
New York in developing a regional strategy in the Northeast to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions--10 States. The States agreeing to participate 
are Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maine, 
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The cap-and-trade 
initiative recommended by Governor Pataki would include developing a 
market-based emissions trading system that would apply to power 
generators emitting carbon dioxide, and it is modeled after the highly 
successful acid rain program of the 1990 Clean Air Act.
  This amendment is modeled on the highly successful acid rain program 
of the 1990 Clean Air Act. It is modest in its proportions.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has consumed 8 minutes.
  Mr. McCAIN. I reserve the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, while I appreciate the comments made by my 
good friend from Arizona, I would only say some of the things there--I 
know he doesn't intend to say things that aren't true. I would like to 
quote an article that was in this morning's USA Today. James Morison, 
who is a scientist with the University of Washington--this is a front 
page article in USA Today--said the temperature increases and the 
shifts in winds and ocean currents occurred early in the 1990s and have 
since ``relaxed.'' This is a recent discovery.

       These big changes ``are not related to (global) climate 
     change.''

  This was just in this morning's paper, speaking of the Arctic Circle.
  So if we have time, when I have a chance to wind up, I want to repeat 
some of the things I said about the flawed science on which all these 
things are based. Until then, I recognize the Senator from West 
Virginia, Mr. Byrd, for a time not to exceed 12 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss the 
very critical issue of global warming and to summarize events of recent 
years that have led us to this point. We are discussing the paramount 
energy and environmental challenge of our time; namely, the inexorable 
increase in greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that will lead to 
changes in the global climate.
  The primary contributor to global warming is the burning of fossil 
fuels that create carbon dioxide, and it remains in the atmosphere for 
over a century. These human-produced emissions are adding to a growing 
concentration in the global atmosphere that is expected to more than 
double by the end of this century. Therefore, we are bequeathing this 
problem and its consequences to our children, our grandchildren, and 
our great grandchildren.
  While I am very concerned about the challenge posed by global 
warming, let me state at the outset that I have long been a strong 
critic of climate change policies that are not in the national interest 
of the United States. I will yield to no one on that point. I have 
insisted on a rational and cost-effective approach to dealing with 
climate change.
  As the coauthor, along with Senator Hagel, of S. Res. 98, that passed 
95 to zero in 1997, during the 105th Congress, I sought at that time to 
express the sense of the Senate regarding the provisions of any future 
binding, international agreement that would be acceptable to the 
Senate. The Kyoto protocol, in its current form, does not comply with 
the requirements of S. Res. 98. That resolution was supported by many 
industrial trade associations and opposed by many environmental 
organizations.
  While those on both sides of the issue have attributed many 
interpretations and misinterpretations to S. Res. 98, no one has 
misrepresented and misconstrued S. Res. 98 more so than this present 
administration.
  S. Res. 98 was intended to provide the sense of the Senate on what 
should be included in any future binding international treaty. The 
resolution laid

[[Page 26570]]

out the conditions under which the Senate could agree to a new binding 
treaty that would subsequently be considered at the Kyoto conference. 
S. Res. 98 directed that any such treaty must include new scheduled 
commitments for the developing world in addition to any such 
requirements for industrialized nations but requirements that would be 
binding and mandatory and lead to real reductions in the emissions of 
greenhouse gases over time. This is clearly different than the minimal, 
vague, and voluntary commitments that we are currently pursuing.
  As I explained in 1997, a voluntary approach had already been tried 
and had already failed. The United Nations Framework Convention on 
Climate Change, also known as the Rio Convention, failed to reduce 
emissions largely because it was voluntary. That is why Kyoto concerned 
binding commitments, and S. Res. 98 was intended to guide that effort 
rather than kill that effort.
  The administration's climate team has merely returned to the 
voluntary approach of Rio, despite a complete lack of evidence that 
this so-called plan will ever succeed. Industrial nations have never 
initiated significant reductions in pollution of any type on a strictly 
voluntary basis. This administration must finally come to terms with 
taking action toward globally binding commitments.
  As well, developing nations, especially the largest emitters, need to 
be a part of any binding global climate change treaty. Another point 
that has been misunderstood is what S. Res. 98 would require of 
developing countries. An international treaty with binding commitments 
can and should provide for the continued growth of the world's 
developing nations. Unrealistically stringent emissions targets need 
not choke off their economic growth. The initial commitments could be 
relatively modest, pacing upwards depending on various factors, with a 
specific goal to be achieved. Today, however, the world is even further 
away from a credible, workable global strategy to deal on climate 
change than we were in 1997.
  The blame for this circumstance can be laid squarely at the feet of 
this administration which abandoned international negotiations in which 
it could have kept pressure on developing nations to agree to some 
level of mandatory emissions reductions. Moreover, developing nations 
should be a prime market for clean energy technology projects. But, 
with little pressure on those nations to reduce or contain the growth 
of emissions, a huge and fruitful market for those types of 
technologies--technologies that are being developed in the U.S.--is 
likely to dry up. In other words, while this nation has been making 
great strides in developing technologies to use our own energy 
resources more efficiently and more cleanly, significant efforts to 
help deploy these technologies overseas have been undercut by this 
administration's unilateral approach to climate change.
  Thus, S. Res. 98 was an effort to strengthen the hand of the 
administration as it undertook international negotiations. It enabled 
our negotiators to walk into talks and point to the ever-present 
Congress, looking over their shoulders, to ensure that the interests of 
the U.S. would be protected in any agreement that eventually came to 
fruition.
  The Bush administration has never understood the value of S. Res 98. 
Rather than employing that tool to positively influence international 
negotiations, it used the resolution as cover to simply walk away from 
the table. Having abandoned a constructive role in the global 
negotiations on climate change, this administration has left the U.S. 
in a much weaker position globally.
  The Bush administration must be challenged on its environmental, 
economic, and energy responsibilities, both domestically and 
internationally. The U.S. is in the best position of any nation to 
positively influence an international response to global climate 
change. Yet, we will all suffer from the consequences of global warming 
in the long run because we are all in the same global boat.
  This administration has attempted to hide behind S. Res. 98 to defend 
its current do-nothing and know-nothing policies on climate change, and 
I strongly object to that. The difference between my view and that of 
this administration is simple. I believe the problem is real and 
demands action. The administration does not. The President also claimed 
early in his administration that his goal was to oppose Kyoto. If the 
President's representatives had stayed at the table and negotiated in 
good faith on a treaty to comply with S. Res. 98, then the 
administration could have guided the world toward a new binding treaty 
with mandatory requirements to reduce emissions that would correct the 
deficiencies of Kyoto.
  The reality is quite different. Our nation has been represented at 
the international negotiations in name only. We would be better 
represented at the international negotiations by a row of empty chairs. 
That would at least accurately represent the vacuous nature of our 
current policies. For President Bush not only disavowed the Kyoto 
Protocol; he also turned his back on any negotiations because they 
concern a binding treaty that includes mandatory commitments. The rest 
of the world was outraged by this unilateral rejection of a decade of 
negotiations and of the new American isolationist approach to deal with 
climate change.
  And what will happen in one year or five years when a new 
administration enters office? What will happen if Russia does decide to 
ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and it enters into force? Will the 
administration be able to go back to the table and demand changes to 
binding international law that will have been in force for perhaps many 
years? The President's industry supporters may one day wake up and 
realize that they live in a partially Kyoto-controlled world where 
there is no turning back.
  One senses confusion and a lack of direction in the administration. 
It seems that the administration's right hand does not know what the 
far right hand is doing regarding its climate change policies. The 
White House does not know whether to believe the science or not, and 
they have certainly not articulated a plan of action.
  Finally, I am compelled to observe that it is the height of hypocrisy 
for this administration or its supporters in industry to claim that 
they are defending the goals and provisions of S. Res. 98. They cannot 
make such a claim in the debate today or in any international forum. 
Nothing could be further from the truth. This administration can no 
longer hide behind the mantle of that resolution.
  It is this administration that undermined the tenets of that 
resolution. They now support only vague, voluntary measures. That is 
true both domestically and internationally. The evidence suggests that 
the President's negotiators have even formed an alliance with the key 
emitters in the developing world, and together they oppose any 
additional discussion during the international negotiations of binding 
commitments for the developing world as called for under S. Res. 98. 
That is of course a logical result of the administration's policies, 
since it is impossible to apply binding commitments to China if we 
refuse to apply such standards to ourselves. We now have little hope of 
seeing an effort made to produce a treaty that will comply with S. Res. 
98--at least not during the tenure of this President.
  If there is no prospect for a binding international treaty, then how 
can we deal with the enormous challenge posed by global warming? The 
critics of the amendment before us argue that we should stay the course 
and support the President's policies. If I may ask--what are those 
policies? What concrete programs have been put in place? In point of 
fact, the administration has asked the industry trade associations to 
develop their own voluntary reduction programs. The proposals are vague 
and actually allow emissions to continue to increase. Taken together, 
none of these programs is expected to result in any serious decrease in 
emissions.
  These events over the last three years have led me to conclude that 
we

[[Page 26571]]

must look elsewhere for effective action on global warming. The Senate 
should not be put in the position in which it now stands. It should not 
be faced, as we are now, with the prospect of considering an energy 
bill devoid of provisions to address climate change. The Senate should 
be considering our nation's energy security from a broad view that 
includes a global response to climate change and the international 
politics of energy.
  Proponents of the amendment now before us argue that it sends the 
clear message to the White House: If President Bush rejects the advice 
of this body, then he is refusing to negotiate in good faith toward a 
binding international treaty and is only offering hollow domestic 
programs. The Senate has little choice but to consider further steps, 
including modest mandatory approaches, that would apply to our domestic 
economy.
  The amended version of S. 139 freezes emissions at their current 
levels rather than seeking a sharp reduction as has been the case in 
other approaches. The McCain-Lieberman bill also allows companies to 
offset their emissions, for example by planting trees that absorb and 
sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) or by constructing more 
efficient power plants in the developing world than what those nations 
would otherwise build--and claim the difference as an earned offset or 
credit.
  I would prefer not to be faced with a measure like this today. I note 
that this bill has not had committee consideration. That said, it is 
very much the case that several key chairmen with jurisdiction over 
energy or environmental policy have shown very little interest in 
seriously dealing with climate change. We have certainly witnessed this 
in the energy bill. I want to further commend Senators McCain and 
Lieberman for their diligence and hard work to find a middle ground. 
They have come a long way on this proposal. If the principles of their 
proposal were combined with those of other Members like mine, then the 
Senate could have a strong package to offer the American people. While 
I will not be able to vote for the amendment today, I want to make it 
very clear that I will work with the sponsors of this bill and other 
Republican and Democratic Senators who want to go beyond this 
administration's empty-headed approach.
  In closing, I want to express my own growing frustration for our 
seeming inability to deal with the problem at hand. I have been 
troubled by this for a long time. I do not believe I need any more 
scientific evidence to show that we have seen these changes. I have 
seen the changes in weather patterns, and those changes that I have 
personally seen during my nearly 86 years lead me to believe that there 
is something happening. We need to do something about it. What we do 
may be painful in some respects, but we owe it to our children and 
grandchildren to have the foresight to see that something is happening 
and to understand that we ought to do something about it soon. If not, 
we may be going beyond retrieval.
  So, I would say again that the two Senators are to be very much 
complimented. I will vote with Mr. Inhofe, for the reasons I have 
stated. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I thank Senator Byrd for his statement. 
Obviously, I regret that he is not going to support the McCain-
Lieberman proposal today. But I appreciate very much this fact: He 
recognizes that there is a problem here. I don't know how some of our 
distinguished colleagues can say there is not a problem. The science is 
there. The facts are there. We see it with our own eyes. We can 
disagree on what to do about the problem.
  But Senator Byrd, with his characteristic directness and honesty and 
sense of history, has recognized that there is a problem. I look 
forward to working with him in the months ahead to see that we can 
fashion together a common ground response that will deal with the 
problem that he quite honestly has recognized. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator. I thank 
our colleagues for the work they have done. I, again, thank Senator 
Inhofe.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from 
Delaware who has been an active, helpful, and constructive supporter of 
this proposal, for which I thank him.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I thank Senator Lieberman and Senator 
McCain and others who brought this legislation to the floor. I stand 
today as a cosponsor of the amended version of the McCain-Lieberman 
Climate Stewardship Act and I will vote for it today. I do so because I 
believe it is a sensible first step toward addressing the real problem 
of increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming 
about which Senator Byrd and others have spoken.
  Senator Byrd, Senator McCain, and others have spoken about the 
convincing science which shows that not only greenhouse gas emissions 
are increasing but also that those emissions are linked to human 
activity and are having a negative impact on the climate in which we 
live.
  Ten years ago I would not have stood here. Ten years ago I would not 
have been arguing that we should take mandatory steps toward addressing 
greenhouse gas emissions. But over the past decade or so as I learned 
more about the issue and had the opportunity to speak with people on 
both sides of this debate, and as Senator McCain said, to see with my 
own eyes the changes that are occurring in this world, I have become 
convinced there is a real problem. It is not going away. We can do 
something about it. We can do something about it now. We should.
  Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain should be commended for their 
work on this bill and for their willingness to make a significant 
modification to their original proposal. I don't know that I would have 
been so supportive of the original bill because of reductions that were 
required in that bill. Having said that, the modified version before 
the Senate today which seeks to turn over the balance of this decade 
greenhouse emissions to levels of the year 2000 has my strong support.
  The fact is, if the Federal Government does not act in a meaningful 
way, and do so soon, the problem will get worse and the solution, when 
it comes, will be even more difficult and more disruptive of our 
economy and our way of living.
  Addressing greenhouse gasses is a proper role for the Federal 
Government. In yesterday's New York Times, a reporter, Jennifer Lee, 
wrote about the increasing number of States fed up with a lack of 
certainty from the Federal Government with regard to climate change 
policy. Half the States, according to the article, have taken steps to 
address global warming.
  On the one hand, I view the States' efforts as a positive 
development. However, regulating greenhouse gasses via 50 different 
laws is not, my friends, the best way to proceed on this issue. It is 
best for both the industries that will have to comply with these laws 
and the ecological benefits we expect from the passage that we adopt a 
uniform Federal standard. The Climate Stewardship Act does just that.
  My own State of Delaware is proud to be the home of the DuPont 
Company, a global company with products touching each of us every day. 
DuPont is a major producer of greenhouse gasses. One might think they 
would be opposed to this legislation, but as it turns out they are not. 
They view this bill as a significant and serious contribution to the 
congressional debate on how to address climate change.
  They think it is particularly noteworthy for three reasons, and I 
will mention those: No. 1, the measure includes market-based systems to 
achieve reductions efficiency; No. 2, it covers more than one sector of 
the economy; No. 3, it provides credit incentives for early action and 
includes flexibility mechanisms to allow companies to seek lower cost 
solutions that achieve the desired results.
  DuPont is just one example of a company that has stepped forward and 
taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions not because they have to 
but

[[Page 26572]]

because they believe it is the right thing to do.
  DuPont kept its energy use flat between 1990 and 2000, while at the 
same time increasing production by 35 percent. That means they found 
ways to become more efficient and thereby avoid increasing greenhouse 
gas emissions. If a company such as DuPont can find a way to meet the 
requirements of this bill, I suspect that just about any company can do 
the same.
  In closing, today's vote is one of the more important votes we will 
take during our time in the Senate, certainly one of the more important 
votes of this year. In my mind, the issue it addresses is as important 
as the vote to authorize the President to use force in Iraq or whether 
we will make major changes in Medicare prescription drugs.
  What we decide today will have a significant impact for our future. 
While we will not see noticeable, positive or negative effects before 
next year's Presidential election, or before next year's Senate 
elections, within our lifetime, as sure as we are gathered here today, 
it will be clear that we have made the right choice or, I might add, if 
we have made the wrong one.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in what I believe is the right choice 
and that is a ``yes'' vote for the Climate Stewardship Act.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to 
discuss S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act and lay out the reasons I 
am supporting this bill.
  The chief reason I support this bill is that I believe, as do the 
majority of scientists, that global climate change is occurring, and is 
due in part to human activities. I also believe that the U.S. has a 
responsibility to provide international and domestic leadership on this 
issue, and to begin to take action. This body, the U.S. Senate, has now 
passed three separate Sense of Congress Resolutions, this year and last 
year, urging U.S. leadership and reengagement in the international 
process to address global warming, and meaningful U.S. domestic action 
to begin to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate 
change. Two of these resolutions were included in the comprehensive 
energy bills passed by this body this year and last. Despite these 
resolutions, the United States remains inactive on these issues. We are 
not displaying enough leadership on combating global warming, either 
domestically or abroad. And we are beginning to see some early warning 
signals about the consequences if we persist in our inaction.
  The World Meteorological Organization, WMO, in July of this year 
issued an unprecedented alert, saying: ``Record extremes in weather and 
climate events continue to occur around the world. Recent scientific 
assessments indicate that, as the global temperatures continue to warm 
due to climate change, the number and intensity of extreme events might 
increase.'' They go on to say that: ``New record extreme events occur 
every year somewhere in the globe, but in recent years the number of 
such extremes has been increasing.'' And, ``(w)hile the trend towards 
warmer globally averaged surface temperatures has been uneven over the 
course of the last century, the trend for the period since 1976 is 
roughly three times that for the past 100 years as a whole.''
  In the United States, the WMO cited record-breaking statistics in a 
particularly dangerous category of extreme weather events: nationwide, 
562 tornadoes occurred in May, 2003, resulting in 41 deaths--a record 
for the number of tornadoes in any month, far surpassing the June, 1992 
U.S. record of 399 tornadoes.
  In Iowa, as in much of the midwest, we have been experiencing a 
drought--a drought that is hurting my states' farmers, and farmers 
across the midwest and west. These dramatic weather events that we are 
experiencing--the tornadoes, the drought, the warming--these are 
exactly what scientists have been predicting would occur with 
unmitigated global warming. These events should not come as a surprise 
to any of us, they have been predicted for some years now.
  The bill we are debating, the Climate Stewardship Act, will take the 
first, modest steps to put into place a U.S. system to begin to reduce 
our greenhouse gas emissions, to begin to take action. It will respond 
to the science, and it will do it in a manner that this administration 
has failed to do--with meaningful policies that will not harm the U.S. 
economy, but will at least put us on the right path.
  Now I know some Members of this body and of some organizations and 
industries have expressed concerns that taking action will harm the 
U.S. economy, and will impact energy supplies. While their concerns are 
legitimate, they are misplaced, because scientists, economists and 
analysts in this administration and in the private sector agree that 
this bill that we are debating will not be onerous for the overall 
economy or for the various industries it impacts. The Energy 
Information Agency in the Department of Energy and the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology, in separate assessments of the bill, indicate 
it will have minimal impacts on fuel prices and will even lower fuel 
prices in the case of natural gas, for instance, by generating 
efficiencies and providing market signals to drive efficiency. 
Furthermore, the bill has specific provisions to encourage clean, 
renewable fuel production from the agricultural sector and other 
sectors, which would not only reduce our reliance on imports of oil, 
but would also benefit the agricultural economy and the environment by 
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I support those provisions.
  Some critics have said that this bill would prevent the burning of 
coal, and would force coal-burning utilities to switch to using only 
natural gas. That is simply not true. Under this bill, coal use will 
actually increase, and financial incentives for clean coal technologies 
are also provided.
  According to the MIT analysis of the bill, coal use will continue to 
expand 12 percent over current usage levels, out to 2025, which is the 
time frame that MIT looked at. Additionally, coal prices per metric ton 
are expected to drop 4 percent by 2015, and 5 percent by 2020.
  A portion of the proceeds from the auctioning or sale of allowances 
in the bill will go to technology deployment programs. Specifically, 
integrated coal gasification systems will receive significant financial 
incentives. Such clean coal technologies are not only beneficial to the 
environment, but will ensure continued usage of this valuable fuel 
source well into the future, in an environmentally benign manner.
  The agricultural sector and rural areas will continue to bear the 
brunt of severe weather events that can devastate farmers and rural 
economies as long as our inaction continues. However, U.S. agriculture 
can also make important, cost-effective contributions to offset a 
portion of U.S. emissions of greenhouse gasses in the near- and medium-
term. With the proper incentives, agriculture can provide a low-cost 
bridge to a less fossil-fuel and greenhouse gas intensive future, while 
improving the sustainability and perhaps the profitability of this 
vital economic sector. The Climate Stewardship Act, provides some of 
these incentives. A provision in the bill that I particularly support 
is financial incentives, through the auctioning of permits to capped 
sectors, to agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 
including clean, renewable energy sources, such as wind power.
  Agriculture can play an important role in mitigating global warming, 
and can provide valuable benefits to society. Carbon is a commodity 
already being traded and sold in this country and others, and farmers 
can not only ``farm'' for carbon, they can reap the rewards under this 
bill, and help keep costs of action down.
  To make sure farmers can take advantage of this opportunity, I have 
negotiated with Senators McCain and Lieberman to guarantee that a 
specific portion of the credits that can be sold into this cap-and-
trade system in the bill will be set aside for soil carbon 
sequestration. Soil carbon sequestration reduces U.S. net emissions of 
greenhouse gasses but also improves air and water quality by reducing 
run-off, and

[[Page 26573]]

improves soil moisture retention. Soil carbon sequestration occurs 
through improved management practices such as no-till or reduced-till 
farming, the use of shelterbelts, grass waterways, wetland restoration, 
and improved irrigation systems, to name but a few. But most 
importantly for the farm sector, soil carbon enhances agricultural 
sustainability and profitability. We know this because agricultural and 
soil scientists have studied this issue for years--not because of 
global warming, but because of the associated environmental 
improvements and the improved crop productivity associated with greater 
soil carbon. These are complementary objectives with nice overlap. As a 
key benefit soil carbon sequestration has the potential to offset fully 
10 percent of U.S. annual carbon emissions.
  To help ensure that farmers and others in the agricultural sector 
thoroughly understand the issue of climate change, and that they can 
benefit from an emerging carbon market, we have negotiated additional 
language to institute an education and outreach initiative within USDA. 
The program would provide detailed information as well as technical 
assistance to these individuals and groups, as well as allow for the 
creation or utilization of existing centers on climate change.
  This is a win-win policy for agriculture, for our citizens, and of 
course for our environment. That is why I support this bill.
  Mr. LEAHY. I rise today in support of S. 139, the Climate Stewardship 
Act. I am pleased that the Senate is finally going to have an open and 
honest discussion about climate change, greenhouse emissions, global 
warming and their effects on the Nation and the world. It is clear that 
it is time for the Senate to act and pass this important legislation.
  Climate change and global warming could cause grave problems to our 
Nation's economy, especially the economy of the Northeast. The economy 
of my home State of Vermont relies heavily on the revenue brought in 
from the maple, forest and ski industries. Maple syrup production is a 
major source of revenue in Vermont and there could be a dramatic loss 
of maple production in Vermont and the rest of the Northeast if fuel 
emissions continue to go unchecked.
  There are about 2,000 maple farms in my home State, and most of them 
are family-owned businesses. Many if not all of these farms could 
suffer from a decrease in maple sugar income, and eventually they could 
lose their farms altogether. I have heard from many maple producers 
from my State who say they are tapping trees earlier every year. It 
used to be that Vermonters were tapping their trees around Town Meeting 
Day, the first Tuesday in March. Now, some are forced to tap a month 
earlier, during the first week in February. According to a report done 
by U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, sugar maple could 
eventually recede from all U.S. regions but the northern tip of Maine 
by 2100. This is unacceptable, but it is also preventable, and that is 
why the Senate should pass the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003.
  One maple syrup producer from Vermont has become so concerned about 
the negative effects of global warming that he has joined a lawsuit 
against the Export Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment 
Corporation. The plaintiffs in this case claim that these companies 
have illegally provided more than $32 billion for overseas oil fields, 
pipelines, and coal-fired power plants over the past 10 years without 
assessing their impact on global warming as required by law. The 
plaintiffs are not seeking financial compensation, only compliance with 
the National Environment Policy Act, which requires all Federal 
agencies to assess their programs' contributions to global warming.
  Vermont also relies on revenue from the ski industry. Vermonters and 
others from all over the country enjoy the ski resorts in Vermont. 
There is a strong relationship between winter skiing conditions, the 
number of customers, and whether a ski resort has a successful or 
unsuccessful ski season. Vermont resort operators have already had to 
make improvements to snowmaking technology to ensure there is enough 
snow for the entire ski season. This can cost resorts hundreds of 
thousands of dollars. Warmer weather also means the resorts open later. 
In 2001, Killington Ski Resort, the largest ski resort in Vermont 
recorded its latest opening date in more than 15 years.
  Many ski resorts across the country are doing their part to slow 
global warming. Four ski resorts in Vermont: Haystack Ski Area, 
Killington and Pico Resorts, Mad River Glen, and Mount Snow Resort have 
all adopted a policy on climate change to address the problem of global 
warming. Mount Snow Resort has cut energy consumption in half at the 
Main Base Lodge and Snow Lake Lodge by replacing hundreds of 
conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescents. They have also 
installed dozens of energy-efficient snowmaking tower guns, which 
reduce the energy needed to pump water and compressed air. I commend 
the efforts of these ski lodges and I believe that we should act today 
and do our part to reduce global warming.
  I have two grandchildren a 5-year-old grandson and a granddaughter 
who is not quite a year old. I want them to be able to enjoy Vermont as 
I have: snow-covered Green Mountains in the winter, beautiful foliage 
in the fall, and Vermont maple syrup on pancakes as often as they 
please. It is time the U.S. took action to curb our greenhouse gas 
emissions. We can no longer look the other way as the rest of the world 
moves ahead while the current administration ignores global warming.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I stand to applaud the efforts of 
Senators Lieberman and McCain for pushing forward with a sensible and 
modest plan to address the threat of global warming.
  I would prefer that we were debating a bill reported by the 
Environment and Public Works Committee, but the chairman of the 
committee has made it clear that he will never act on such legislation. 
That is unfortunate, since the evidence presented to our committee of 
jurisdiction is more than sufficient to justify taking prudent actions 
now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  There are those who say that climate change is a hoax, a concoction 
of radical environmentalists and a liberal media. That is simply 
hogwash or maybe the whitehouse effect. Global warming has been 
documented by hundreds and hundreds of credible scientific studies, 
including many world class institutions such as the National Academy of 
Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the International Panel on 
Climate Change. To ignore and dismiss the threat of climate change to 
the economy and the environment is like insisting the earth is flat. It 
flies in the face of reality.
  The Climate Stewardship Act uses the same type of efficient cap-and-
trade system that Congress established in the 1990 Clean Air Act 
amendments to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and acid rain.
  My bill, S.366, the Clean Power Act, uses that system to reduce 
carbon dioxide pollution from power plants to 1990 levels. That carbon 
cap and the cap in the bill before the Senate would stimulate the 
development of domestic technologies, like gasification and renewables. 
That would allow our Nation to continue burning coal, but more 
efficiently, cleanly and safely and with fewer carbon emissions.
  Without some kind of carbon cap to drive technology, utilities and 
investors will continue turning away from coal and toward natural gas. 
Without clear action by Congress on this matter, utilities and 
investors fear the uncertain timing of the inevitable carbon controls 
that are coming.
  I will not go into great detail about the need to act now. Our 
committee's hearing record is replete with peer-reviewed scientific 
evidence that demonstrates that need and refutes the Senator from 
Oklahoma's statements.
  But, I would like to note that the average global temperature in 
September 2003 was the hottest on record, and 1998 and 2002 were the 
first and second hottest years on record. That should concern us all.

[[Page 26574]]

  It is urgent that we take action soon. The Senate's decision today 
will affect the atmosphere and climate for the next 100 years if not 
longer. Experts have advised us that we and the world must radically 
change the use of fossil fuels in the next 10 to 15 years or the 
consequences could be quite severe.
  The need for the Senate to move this bill is tremendous. The United 
States emits approximately 25 percent of the world's carbon pollution. 
We are responsible for approximately 40 percent of the carbon 
concentrations now in the atmosphere. We have a moral obligation and an 
economic opportunity in leading the development of technologies and 
systems that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  This legislation gives businesses and Government a great opportunity 
to promote solar, wind, fuel cells and other sustainable energy sources 
as ``the next high tech revolution'' to meet our growing energy needs. 
It can also stimulate rural communities by making carbon sequestration 
economically attractive.
  Twice now, in the energy bills, the Senate has passed resolutions 
asking the President to enter into negotiations with all nations to 
obtain a binding treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have 
been ignored. The administration has taken no action to accomplish such 
a treaty or adopted any policy that will result in real and tangible 
reductions.
  Senators should not take this vote lightly. This is the first time 
that the Senate will vote to control emissions that cause global 
warming. Senators can lead now and contribute to sustainable 
development and job creation or they can hide their heads in the sand 
and be blamed further for the climate change that is already occurring 
and for the chaos that warming is likely to bring.
  I urge Senators to support the Lieberman-McCain bill.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I will be supporting the McCain-
Lieberman climate change legislation, and I want to detail the reasons 
for my support. At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the United 
States agreed to a goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by the 
year 2000, and we became a party to the Framework Convention on Climate 
Change. As a Member of the Senate, I have supported this agreement. In 
order to meet this commitment, our Government has engaged in a wide 
range of voluntary programs. But, despite these efforts, U.S. 
greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 14 percent between 1990 and 
2000. We should take additional nationwide steps to meet this goal, and 
I believe this legislation is an appropriate first step.
  In this legislation, my colleague from Connecticut, Senator 
Lieberman, and my colleague from Arizona, Senator McCain, would 
implement Phase I only of their broader bill on greenhouse gases, S. 
139, the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003. This legislation will return 
the Nation's emissions to 2000 levels by 2010. It will do so by 
reducing emissions in the short term while providing market-based 
flexibility to minimize the cost to industry.
  I continue to believe that we must take action on the national level 
now to slow the progression of climatic change. The costs of inaction 
are prohibitive across the country and in my home State of Wisconsin. 
Wisconsin's top officials acknowledged that climate change was a 
concern years ago. Nat Robinson, administrator of the State 
government's Energy Division in the administration of Governor 
Thompson, stated back in September of 1997, ``There was a time when the 
possible human influence on the atmosphere was hotly debated by 
scientists and lay persons alike. That time is past.'' In response, my 
home State has become one of the first with a statewide plan to address 
global warming.
  Numerous signs suggest that the climate in Wisconsin may already be 
changing, and that the actions that the State of Wisconsin has taken 
are justified. UW-Madison scientist John Magnuson led a dozen other 
scientists in examining actual climate data recorded by a wide variety 
of sources around the world over the past 550 years. These data 
documented a steady 150-year warming trend in global temperatures. For 
example, the ``ice season'' of Dane County's Lake Mendota has decreased 
22 percent since the mid-1800s. Similarly, the Aldo Leopold Foundation 
in Baraboo concluded that spring is arriving a week earlier than it did 
62 years ago based on when various plants are flowering.
  The Union of Concerned Scientists released a series of studies in 
April 2003 on climate change in the Great Lakes Region. That report 
states that by 2030 Wisconsin summers will feel like southern 
Illinois', and by the end of the century, Wisconsin's summer climate 
will resemble that of current-day Arkansas, with our winters like 
current day Iowa. This will cause a huge change in our life in 
Wisconsin, in our climate and ecosystems, in our ability to grow crops, 
in our need for additional summertime cooling for our residents. These 
are huge and costly challenges, and Wisconsin can't solve them alone. 
The pollutants emitted to the air know no political boundaries, and the 
effects are global, as well as local, in scope.
  Unfortunately, this administration has chosen to step away from our 
current commitments on climate change and has not recognized state 
efforts on climate change. I too shared concerns about the Kyoto 
protocol, and joined with the Senate in support of a 98 to 0 vote on 
the Byrd resolution. That resolution called upon the State Department 
to seek meaningful commitments during the Kyoto negotiation process to 
reduce climate change from developing countries such as China and India 
that have the potential to develop using significant amounts of fossil 
fuels. I supported that resolution because I wanted any additional U.S. 
commitments to be to an agreement that addressed all current and future 
sources of climate change worldwide. That vote was not a repudiation of 
my belief that the U.S. must meet its current commitments.
  Meeting our international commitment is important, especially at a 
time of strong anti-American sentiment abroad and challenges to U.S. 
leadership. Some of that sentiment and some of those challenges are a 
direct response to the Bush administration's misguided policies. Even 
our staunchest friends are troubled by the administration's inclination 
for unilateral action, its inconsistent words and deeds, and its 
dismissive response to their legitimate concerns.
  Being part of the international community means engaging 
constructively with like-minded nations to build strong, sustaining 
institutions and alliances--and bringing emerging powers into this 
community so future conflict becomes less likely. The Bush 
Administration has demonstrated an unhealthy disregard for the opinions 
of fellow nations--a disregard that has squandered some of the support 
we received after the September 11, 2001, attacks and diminished our 
influence around the world.
  The administration's approach to global warming is one such area. 
Though the United States produces about a quarter of the world's 
greenhouse gases and will be affected badly by climate change, the Bush 
Administration has shown no interest in doing anything about the 
problem. That undermines our stature and credibility and it causes an 
unnecessary rift with our allies. Constituents have approached me again 
and again at the town hall meetings I hold all over Wisconsin every 
year to share their concerns when the U.S. pulled out of the Kyoto 
negotiations, and I believe that they make a very strong point.
  The most powerful Nation in the world must speak with a clear and 
consistent voice and lead all nations to face major global challenges 
together. The U.S. Government has paid dearly for pulling out of the 
Kyoto protocol and rejecting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. 
Although each of these agreements was imperfect, each became more so 
when the United States moved to the sidelines. Helping to shape 
credible international institutions is not a sign of weakness; it is a 
sign of confidence in U.S. strength and ideals. By disengaging, this 
administration has marginalized U.S. policies, interests, and values.

[[Page 26575]]

  For these reasons, I support the McCain-Lieberman legislation. The 
U.S. should proceed to implement the Framework Convention on Climate 
Change, and we need legislation to do just that.
  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, today the Senate took an important step 
toward expanding the debate on global warming. Greenhouse gasses and 
global warming are a real threat to our environment and our way of 
life. The National Academy of Sciences has verified the scientific 
evidence backing global warming. And the private sector is facing the 
real world impact of global warming as they contemplate the insurance 
costs of rising sea levels and more destructive storms. A decade ago, 
debate ranged within and without the ivory towers of academia over the 
hazy science backing claims of global warming. Today, the fog has 
lifted and we can see the impact that burning fossil fuels has had on 
the climate.
  The changes to our environment are real. Our job now is to decide 
what to do about it. The approach set out by this version of the 
McCain-Lieberman bill is a reasonable first step. It is not perfect, 
and if we would have been able to take up and debate amendments there 
are several, significant changes I would have supported.
  My biggest concern is that this bill would have us move toward 
reducing emissions without requiring the rest of the world to join us. 
While we have a responsibility to reduce our own emissions, we need to 
work with the international community. China, for example, is 
approaching the United States as a producer of green house gasses and 
must be a part of any practical effort to reverse global warming. If 
our unilateral efforts convince China they have no need to act, than 
our approach could do more harm than good. I vote for this bill today 
as a message to the administration that it is time to redouble efforts 
to spark a world effort to address global warning. I do not vote to 
commit the United States as the sole participant in that effort.
  I strongly support including environmental standards as part of our 
trade agreements. Clean air and water issues should be discussed with 
our international trade partners during trade negotiations. Letting our 
competitors avoid environmental issues that impact everyone around the 
world is shortsighted. It hurts our environment and our business 
community.
  The bill before us has other problems that could be addressed with a 
longer debate time and the opportunity to offer amendments. The Senate 
should carefully scrutinize the legislation's timetable and should 
consider giving industry more flexibility in earning credits. But while 
these issues need to be addressed, every journey starts with a single 
step, and this vote is that first step. We have begun seriously to 
struggle with climate change. And ultimately, inevitably, we need to 
make some tough decisions about climate change. We must reduce 
greenhouse gasses to protect our environment and our way of life for 
generations to come. A yes vote today sets us on the path to confront 
this issue head on.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
Climate Stewardship Act. I hope the Senate will seize the historic 
opportunity before it today and vote to begin seriously dealing with 
this worldwide threat.
  Unfortunately, I am afraid Congress is not very good at passing laws 
that will only benefit future generations, especially when there might 
be a cost--no matter how small--for our constituents today. But I hope 
that this vote will be different and that my colleagues will join me in 
passing this sensible legislation to prevent a costly, and potentially 
catastrophic, rise in global temperatures.
  As Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and others have already 
articulated, the scientific conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions 
are contributing to an accelerated rate of climate warming is beyond 
debate. Thousands of climate scientists convened under the United 
Nations and our own National Academy of Sciences have stated 
definitively that human activities--primarily the burning of fossil 
fuels--have contributed and will continue to contribute to rising 
atmospheric temperatures. I am not an atmospheric scientist, and I 
don't believe any of my colleagues are, so I hope everyone here will 
defer to their expertise on this matter.
  Climate change is an existing and scientifically supported phenomenon 
which human beings have a responsibility to mitigate. And since the 
U.S. has the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the world 
and one of the highest emissions rates per dollar of gross domestic 
product, we have a particular duty to lead the world on this critical 
issue.
  Even the Bush administration, whose sincerity in dealing with this 
issue is suspect, acknowledges the reality that human activities cause 
climate change. Last year, in its United States Climate Report for 
2002, the administration outlined a vast array of consequences climate 
change would inflict across our country. I would like to highlight some 
of the ``likely'' effects mentioned in that report that would have a 
particularly harsh impact on my home State of Washington.

       The resulting changes in the amount and timing of runoff 
     are very likely to have significant implications in some 
     basins for water management, flood protection, power 
     production, water quality, and the availability of water 
     resources for irrigations, hydro power, communities, 
     industry, and the sustainability of natural habitats and 
     species.
       Reduced snow-pack is very likely to alter the timing and 
     amount of water supplies, potentially exacerbating water 
     shortages, particularly through the western United States.
       The projected increase in the current rate of sea level 
     rise is very likely to exacerbate the nationwide loss of 
     existing coastal wetlands.
       Habitats of alpine and sub-alpine spruce-fir in the 
     contiguous United States are likely to be reduced and, 
     possibly in the long-term, eliminated as their mountain 
     habitats warm.
       Rising temperatures are likely to force out some cold-water 
     fish species (such as salmon and trout) that are already near 
     the threshold of their viable habitat . . . .
       These conditions would also increase stresses on sea 
     grasses, fish, shellfish, and other organisms living in 
     lakes, streams, and oceans.

  The non-profit group Environmental Defense compiled research that 
shows that the winter snow pack in the Cascades could decline by 50 
percent within 50 years. A reduction even a fraction of that size would 
have a devastating impact on runoff that is vital for hydropower, 
agriculture, salmon habitat, and drinking water supplies. And I am sure 
many of my Western colleagues would be similarly alarmed by potential 
reductions in their scarce water resources.
  Just the damages from decreased runoff would cost my State billions 
of dollars annually, dwarfing even the most pessimistic costs that some 
opponents contend may result from this bill. But besides the costs this 
legislation can help avoid, I think it is critical that we consider the 
tremendous benefits this bill would initiate.
  Today, we know that the tired mantra that ``protecting the 
environment costs jobs'' is no longer true. In fact, the market-based 
mechanisms used in this bill would unleash unprecedented productivity 
and efficiency gains in our energy sector, as well as catalyze 
countless new environmental technology industries. That translates into 
many new high paying engineering and manufacturing jobs and tremendous 
new export opportunities.
  A recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy, which included 
contributions from Washington State's Pacific Northwest National 
Laboratory, forecast significant job growth for jobs in a range of 
emerging ``green'' industries, such as wind power, biomass energy 
production, and other energy efficiency specialties.
  I am proud that my State hosts one of the largest wind farms in the 
United States. I visited our Stateline project and saw first hand one 
of the many solutions that the market will find to meet the goals of 
this legislation.
  These conclusions were confirmed by a 2001 study carried out in 
collaboration with public and private partners in the Pacific Northwest 
that found that the global market for clean energy technologies is 
expected to reach $180 billion a year--about twice the size of the 
passenger and cargo aircraft industries--within the next two decades.

[[Page 26576]]

Already, in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia this sector is a 
$1.4 billion per year industry.
  Despite the potential of these new markets, some of my colleagues 
have argued that the costs of addressing this problem are too high, 
because they believe this bill might raise energy costs. While that is 
highly disputable, I am curious if opponents of this measure also 
support lifting controls on other pollutants? I'm sure we could make 
coal-generated electricity even cheaper if we did not require pollution 
scrubbers. We could allow millions of tons of sulfur dioxide, mercury, 
and other toxins to flood our nation's air in the name of cheap energy. 
But of course we wouldn't do that because we know that true costs of 
such a policy--whether it be the health of our children, the effects of 
acid rain, or even the visibility at our national parks--would far 
outweigh any short-term financial gains we may achieve by removing 
emission controls.
  The same principle is true of climate change. We may save some money 
now by ignoring this problem, but entire industries like timber and 
fishing--key sectors of my State's economy--would be dramatically 
impacted by climate change. There is no way to deny that greenhouse 
gases, including carbon dioxide, are pollutants and need to be 
monitored and controlled as such.
  As I have listened to this historic debate, I have been frustrated by 
the dueling charts and reports which have been used to support one 
position or another. While I, along with many of our Nation's Governors 
and world leaders, believe that the scientific evidence is 
indisputable, there may be another important way to view this issue: as 
an insurance policy.
  I am confident that even the most vocal opponents of this bill would 
be reluctant to say that there is absolutely no chance that the vast 
majority of climate scientists are right about this issue and that 
greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming. Perhaps the 
climate skeptics would change their position if they realized that this 
legislation is really an insurance policy for our children, one that 
guarantees they will be able to enjoy the same natural world that 
benefits us today.
  I believe that is how the American people instinctively understand 
this issue. This is borne out by a recent nationwide survey that showed 
that three-quarters of Americans support the McCain-Lieberman climate 
change bill and two-thirds agree that we can control greenhouse gases 
without harming our economy.
  We are a problem-solving nation. When we are faced with a grave 
threat, we roll up our sleeves, put our heads together, and fix our 
problems; we don't push them off on our children and future 
generations. Like the threat of terrorism, climate change is too 
alarming and disturbing a problem to ignore.
  The risks of ignoring this problem heavily outweigh the benefits of 
preserving the status quo. Allowing rapid changes in the temperature of 
the earth's surface and shifts in worldwide weather patterns that 
result from global warming would be devastating to the economies of my 
state, this nation, and the world. Let's make sure this problem gets 
the serious action it deserves. I urge my colleagues to support this 
critical bill.
  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to this legislation, 
S. 139.
  We have disputes over the scientific evidence on global climate 
change. And we can debate that science all day and never agree.
  I believe the science we have seen does not support the need to 
engage in questionable policies to control so-called ``global 
warming''.
  We need more evidence that the climate is actually affected by 
emissions, especially carbon emissions, before we act too quickly.
  Let's make sure we really look before we leap.
  Instead of arguing over scientific data, we should examine the impact 
S. 139 could have on American jobs and the economy.
  This bill limits emissions of greenhouse gases to 2000 levels by 
2010. This includes regulation of carbon dioxide emissions.
  I am proud to be from a coal state. Generations of Kentuckians from 
Pike County to Crittenden County have worked in the coal fields and 
mines.
  Coal plays an important role in our economy. More than half of our 
nation's electricity is generated from low-cost domestic coal.
  We have over 275 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves. This is 
about 30 percent of the world's coal supply.
  That's enough to supply us with energy for more than 250 years.
  But this bill places caps on carbon. This has a negative affect on 
energy production because it affects the amount of coal we can use.
  This will mean loss of jobs, particularly for workers in Kentucky and 
other coal states.
  It also increases energy prices. Just as our economy is starting to 
turn around. We just don't need this.
  I hope the energy bill encourages renewable fuels as well as clean 
coal so that we are not relying so much on foreign oil.
  S. 139 goes in the other direction of the energy bill. It drives the 
use of natural gas instead of coal.
  Placing caps on carbon means coal production will be 100 million tons 
lower in 2010 than what we expect to produce in 2003.
  That is 25 percent below our expected 2003 level of coal production.
  I have heard from coal operators in Kentucky who are on the verge of 
closing their doors because of natural gas prices.
  But S. 139 causes an even worse situation. According to one analysis, 
it increases natural gas prices by 79 percent.
  By forcing reliance on natural gas and a reduction in coal 
production, this bill results in a loss of 460,000 jobs through 2025 
and electricity bills will increase 46 percent.
  We already have a natural gas shortage. And for a decade coal was on 
the downturn because of governmental policies.
  These policies have caused our demand for natural gas to exceed the 
supply.
  High gas prices cause Americans to experience difficulties. With the 
winter coming, prices are expected to go up and put a noose on the 
American pocketbook.
  We must focus on increasing production and using a variety of energy 
sources. Failing to do this puts our energy independence and national 
security at stake.
  We are turning the corner on the economy and job growth. The last 
quarter grew by 7.2 percent. We do not need to be losing jobs or 
causing more companies to shut down business because of increased 
energy prices caused by the government.
  The climate issue is being addressed in other ways that are more 
conducive to job creation and economic growth.
  We are becoming more energy efficient. Energy efficiency has improved 
20 percent since 1990. This means that emissions have declined.
  In fact, we are expected to reduce emissions by 14 percent by 2012 
without any new emission regulations.
  Our automobiles are more efficient and running at a higher fuel 
efficiency than they did just a few a years go.
  However, S. 139 ignores the strides we have made and could bring us 
back to 1970s gas rationing.
  As a consequence of this rationing, the cost of gasoline is expected 
to increase 27 percent.
  This increases fuel costs, and further slows our recovery, and takes 
money out of the pockets of Americans.
  I don't see why we should vote to increase energy costs and 
unemployment. Voting for this bill does that.
  It may make us feel better to support this bill because of its 
environmental symbolism.
  But I will choose substance over symbolism any day.
  American jobs are of substance. Getting a green star by your name on 
an environmental group's web site is symbolic.
  And while that may make one feel good, watching Americans lose jobs 
from this kind of legislation won't.
  I urge my colleagues to defeat this bill.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would like to discuss the Climate 
Stewardship Act, which the Senate will vote on

[[Page 26577]]

later today. Although I recognize the challenge of global climate 
change, I must oppose this legislation because of the drastic negative 
effect it would have on our national economy.
  Our economy depends on affordable, reliable, and abundant sources of 
energy. Whether that means natural gas, petroleum, or coal, we have a 
responsibility to ensure that our businesses, manufacturers, and 
households have access to energy sources at reasonable costs. We depend 
on energy in almost everything we do in our lives, from turning on the 
light in the morning, to driving our cars to work, to cooking our 
dinner at the end of the day. We need access to these sources of 
energy, and we need access in a way that doesn't force us to choose 
between paying our power bill, buying gas at the pump, or buying 
essentials like groceries and medicine. During my time in the Senate, I 
have remained committed to keeping energy costs affordable for all 
North Dakotans and all Americans.
  The bill before us would threaten the affordability of these sources 
of energy. It will require companies that produce and use natural gas, 
petroleum, and coal to acquire credits for each ton of greenhouse gas 
emissions for which they are responsible. These credits will have a 
value of anywhere from $8 to $13 for each ton of emissions. Our 
emissions levels are in the many millions of tons per year. This means 
dramatic cost increases ranging in the many millions of dollars for the 
energy industry, costs that will inevitably be passed on to the 
consumer.
  According to a recent MIT study--the same study, by the way, that the 
sponsors of this bill cite in making their arguments--national demand 
for coal would increase much more slowly under the legislation. 
Petroleum and natural gas demand will also increase at slower rates. 
This is because the costs of these fuels will dramatically increase 
under the bill. It will mean higher gas prices, higher electricity 
bills, and higher home heating costs.
  I am particularly concerned about the effects of these cost increases 
on our international competitiveness. The Kyoto Treaty has not yet 
taken effect, and it now appears that Russia may be backing away from 
ratification. In the absence of the Kyoto treaty, other nations across 
the globe will not be subject to strict greenhouse gas emissions 
controls. Moreover, even if the Kyoto Treaty does enter into force, 
there has been bipartisan agreement that the Kyoto treaty contains 
unbalanced provisions that would require disproportionate carbon 
dioxide reductions in this country while other countries would have to 
make much less significant changes.
  If we were to adopt the bill before us at this time, we would risk 
putting U.S. manufacturing--which relies on affordable energy--at a 
significant competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world. 
Already, we are losing jobs to manufacturers in Mexico and China. If 
our energy costs were to increase because of this bill, our job loss to 
foreign countries would accelerate. With record Federal deficits and 
debt, our economy is already in trouble; now is not the time to be 
making our economic problems worse.
  Let me be clear that I am fully aware of and fully acknowledge the 
reality of global climate change. We need only to look to the droughts 
in my part of the country over the last few years to see the very real 
effects of global climate change. Human activity since the industrial 
revolution is warming the planet, melting the polar ice caps, and 
causing severe weather events across the globe. These developments have 
very serious implications for this country, and for the world.
  I do not dispute this ecological situation and I do not dispute the 
need to do something about it. Let me also state that I very much 
appreciate the efforts of Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain to try 
to address this issue. They have done so in a way that genuinely 
attempts to address a variety of constituent issues. However, I still 
do not think the legislation we are considering today is the right 
approach at the right time.
  We need to continue working for a solution that carefully balances 
this need for action with the concerns about the impact on our economy 
and our competitiveness, and I hope to be a part of finding innovative 
and creative solutions to global climate change. We need to carefully 
consider impacts on States with energy dependent economies, such as 
North Dakota. We need to carefully consider the impact on different 
types of energy and make sure we do not put some forms of energy at an 
unfair disadvantage. For example, to have my support any legislation on 
this topic must address the unique circumstances of lignite coal, which 
is the primary source of electricity in North Dakota. And we need to 
carefully weigh the impacts that any plan will have on energy 
consumers. This will require an enormous amount of careful work, and I 
look forward to being part of the effort to address this very real 
problem.
  These are enormously complex issues that will require very careful 
study and an opportunity for extensive public review and comment. 
Because of the circumstances under which we are considering this 
legislation, we have not had that opportunity for extensive review. 
Without that careful study and review to ensure that we understand in 
detail the impacts on energy production in my State, on our national 
economy, and on our international competitiveness, I cannot vote for 
this legislation. For that reason, I must vote against the bill today.
  Mr. DORGAN. My colleagues, Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman, have 
brought to the Senate floor a serious proposal dealing with an 
important issue. The issue of climate change and global warming demands 
our attention. We live in this fragile spaceship called Earth, and we 
have but one environment to sustain us. We ignore the health of our 
environment at our peril.
  So the question is not whether but rather how we address these 
questions that are being raised about our environment, about climate 
change and global warming.
  The proposal we are voting on today is one that I think requires some 
additional work and some additional thought.
  We now live in a global economy and these issues must be addressed 
globally.
  We cannot create emissions caps and targets that we enforce 
unilaterally in a manner that encourages American companies to move 
overseas and avoid these restrictions. If we do that, we will end up 
doing little or nothing to protect our environment while harming our 
economy.
  In this global economy, where companies can move from one country to 
another with ease, it seems to me the only way to achieve the goals of 
reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is to engage with all other 
countries in a global strategy for these reductions. Otherwise, these 
global companies will simply move their plants and their jobs to areas 
where they are not impeded by emission caps and other restrictions.
  When a global agreement is negotiated, it cannot be an agreement that 
allows some countries to avoid emission caps while others embrace them. 
For example, if we through an international agreement will embrace 
emission caps for our country but allow the Chinese or the Indian 
governments to avoid them, we will simply be developing a strategy for 
companies to move out of the United States and move their plants and 
jobs to countries where they will not face such restrictions.
  That approach would represent the worst of all worlds. There would be 
no environmental benefit but we in the U.S. would suffer a heavy 
economic penalty from plant flight and job loss.
  I do not think the McCain-Lieberman proposal is the right way to 
address these issues, but my vote in opposition should not be seen as a 
denial that these are serious issues that do need to be addressed.
  This amendment and today's debate and vote will be a constructive 
start of a healthy debate about what we do to provide leadership on 
these issues. While I think this proposal today falls short, I intend 
to be a constructive part of future proposals that can and will offer 
leadership in the right direction.

[[Page 26578]]


  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I cannot support the Climate Stewardship 
Act of 2003 since its effect, if enacted, will be the loss of more 
manufacturing jobs to countries which have few, if any, environmental 
standards. That won't help the environment, and it will hurt our 
economy. Climate change is not something we can tackle by shifting 
industries and their emissions to other countries, or by shifting 
manufacturing jobs to China or other countries which have no limits on 
emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill before us reflects a unilateral 
approach to a problem which can only be solved globally.
  Let me give one example of how this bill would promote job loss in 
the U.S. with no benefit to the global environment. In the past decade, 
a large number of companies have moved their manufacturing plants 
overseas. Take, for example, a U.S. manufacturing company that had 
seven plants in the U.S. in the 1990s. Today it has only five left, 
because two moved to countries with cheaper labor. Assume that those 
five remaining domestic plants each emit 20,000 metric tons of carbon 
dioxide for a total of 100,000 metric tons. Under this legislation, 
reasonable estimates are that the company's cap could be placed at 
around 90,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide credits. The company, 
already under heavy competition because of cheap labor costs overseas, 
faces a choice: pay to reduce emissions at its five plants by 10 
percent, or move another one of its plants overseas, say to China. If 
the company moves one of its five plants abroad, it has 10,000 credits 
remaining to play with which it can use to actually increase emissions 
at its four remaining plants, or it can sell them. So this bill adds to 
existing incentives, such as lower labor costs and no safety standards, 
to move manufacturing plants overseas, and the result is that we lose 
jobs and the environment gains nothing. In other words, when this 
bill's mandates are imposed on sectors of the economy that can pick up 
and move overseas, it adds another incentive to do just that.
  The United States must take a leadership role in addressing climate 
change, but that leadership must move us in the right direction. It is 
not sound leadership to give additional incentives to U.S. businesses 
to move their facilities, and the jobs that go with them, to other 
countries that don't have the costly environmental standards which this 
bill would impose on U.S. businesses. It is not sound leadership to 
simply shift industrial emissions from American soil to countries which 
have no emissions standards. And it is certainly not sound leadership 
to act unilaterally in a way that puts U.S. manufacturers at a 
competitive disadvantage when there is no built-in incentive for other 
countries to follow. In fact, the opposite is true: the unilateral 
approach in this bill provides an economic incentive for countries who 
are picking up our manufacturing jobs not to follow our lead.
  Effective and sound leadership would be to tell competing countries 
that we are going to adopt high environmental standards if they will 
join us, or, in the alternative, leadership is getting countries to 
agree (1) to the adoption of tough environmental standards, and (2) to 
refuse to purchase products from countries which won't adopt those 
environmental standards. Sound leadership, in other words, is working 
to create an international agreement where all countries take steps to 
reduce global warming, so that there is no incentive to move jobs and 
emissions from a country with high environmental standards to one with 
low environmental standards.
  Climate change cannot be addressed unilaterally. It must be addressed 
multilaterally. It doesn't help the global environment to push down 
greenhouse gas emissions in one country only to have them pop up in 
others. We need a Kyoto-type treaty which binds all countries. 
Otherwise, there is a perverse incentive to move more and more jobs to 
countries with lower environmental standards. That does nothing to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and does damage to U.S. jobs.
  To achieve a global agreement will require our putting maximum 
pressure on all countries to join it, so that the emissions of 
greenhouse gases can be reduced, not just shifted. Shifting 
manufacturing jobs and the production of greenhouses gases from here to 
other countries is not a solution to climate change. It would just be 
another economic blow to America at a time when our economy is already 
losing jobs at an historic and alarming rate.
  We have already lost enough American jobs to countries with cheap 
labor, no safety standards and no environmental standards. To add more 
incentives for companies to move overseas to countries with no limits 
on greenhouse gas emissions, as this bill would promote, is not sound 
policy. Global climate change is just that: global and it needs to be 
dealt with globally, not unilaterally.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, anyone who has picked up a copy of this 
legislation and read it has to be forgiven if he or she was soon 
reminded of the words of Yogi Berra, ``It's deja vu all over again.''
  After all, it is not as if this topic is unfamiliar to us. When the 
debate first began on the Kyoto talks, the U.S. Senate made a clear and 
direct statement of principle on the subject. We drew a line that was 
not to be crossed by the president and his negotiators in their effort 
to reach an international climate change agreement. By a vote of 95 to 
0 the Senate passed Senate Resolution 98, also known as the Byrd-Hagel 
resolution, that sent a clear message to the world that the Senate 
would not support any climate change agreement that did not include all 
nations equally. We also said we would not support an agreement that 
would cause serious harm to our economy.
  We crafted our message to the administration to counter the concerns 
that had been raised that a global climate change policy could be 
imposed on the United States that would ``result in serious harm to the 
United States economy, including significant job loss, trade 
disadvantages, and increased energy and consumer costs.'' The Senate 
was also concerned that efforts to reduce global emissions would be 
imposed only on developed nations, where the best emissions controls 
and most advances in emissions reductions already exist, and not on 
underdeveloped nations where emissions would continue without any 
effective controls.
  What has changed since then?
  Nothing.
  We still need the benefits of a strong economy. We still need to 
protect American jobs. And we still need to avoid trade deficits and 
ensure consumers are not forced to choose between paying their energy 
bills and buying food.
  We still need to protect American jobs, and global climate change is 
still a global issue.
  Unfortunately, this reality contradicts the language of the proposal 
we are debating today just as surely as it contradicts the message we 
sent the administration with the Byrd-Hagel language.
  The proposal before us, which is clearly an energy tax, would force 
the United States to unilaterally disarm its economy and force American 
jobs overseas without providing any environmental benefit. An energy 
tax, like the one proposed by Senators Lieberman and McCain would, in 
fact, be an environmental nightmare. Any loss of jobs in the United 
States would shift production to other parts of the world where there 
are no controls over the manufacturing process.
  The best way to help the environment around the world is to ensure we 
have a strong economy here at home.
  If we, as a Senate, really want to stand for improving global 
conditions then we should stand behind the principles of Byrd-Hagel and 
insist our global climate change policy does not harm America's 
workers. If we want to improve global conditions we must insist that 
all nations responsible for emitting greenhouse gasses participate and 
reduce their own emissions.
  Just in case anyone is not clear about what is going on and what this 
legislation really does, I want to take a moment and explain how it 
would slow down our economy and force jobs out of the country.

[[Page 26579]]

  To begin with, the bill establishes a requirement for registering all 
industrial emissions, and it requires the officials in charge to make 
assumptions about the level of total emissions that are due to 
transportation.
  We can only assume that these assumptions are made for one of two 
reasons.
  We want to know the transportation emissions level so we can blame 
the rest on industry, or, we want to know the transportation emissions 
level so we can start to apply limits and regulate family cars. I have 
had the opportunity to visit California and noticed a remarkable thing 
about this State that has done so much on its own to regulate and 
control private vehicles. While the rest of the highway was packed with 
cars, the HOV lanes were wide open and very poorly utilized. And yet 
this bill does nothing to account for private vehicles which is a major 
source of greenhouse gas emissions. I wonder, if this bill was so 
serious about improving the environment, why would it leave out such a 
major source of emissions?
  Don't be fooled. If this program is passed then that will be the next 
step. Why would we put in place such an ineffective control if we 
didn't intend to take it to the next step and regulate private 
transportation? We don't want to, they do.
  This proposal would hold industry responsible for all other, 
nonindustrial or transportation emissions, emissions including human 
beings, who breathe out CO2 on a regular basis, animals, 
plants, volcanoes, forest fires, and private homes that burn natural 
gas, fuel, coal or wood. Keep in mind that one natural cataclysmic 
event, such as a volcanic eruption or a catastrophic wildfire eclipses 
anything, by way of emissions, that all of mankind can produce together 
on an annual basis.
  We also have a situation where our trees that once could have served 
as sponges to soak up greenhouse gasses, are now older and absorb less 
CO2. In fact, because of the age of many of our forests they 
are now CO2 emitters.
  The bill also completely neglects the most common and prevalent 
greenhouse gas of all. Of all the gasses found in our atmosphere, this 
particular gas is the most insidious. It contributes to more 
fluctuations in temperature than any other gas. It has the greatest 
impact on local and global climate, and it too is emitted by industry 
and by numerous natural sources and yet it is not included anywhere in 
this bill.
  What is this gas? It is water vapor, of course. Why, if we are really 
serious about using this legislation to control temperatures and 
climate, don't we include water? Because this effort is not about 
environmental protection. It is about imposing an energy tax and 
controlling the economy.
  The next thing the bill does is impose a cap or limit on otherwise 
unregulated emissions by industry. Once again, this cap does not take 
into account the emissions generated by other sources. The result is 
that we would force industry to assume all responsibility and pay for 
all emissions, regardless of where they come from. Whether the 
emissions came from individuals or nature, we would still hold industry 
responsible. There is a new discovery that was recently made in Wyoming 
that illustrates the lunacy of holding man responsible for something 
that nature releases on its own in an abundance that man never has.
  I will read from an AP article that ran in a Wyoming newspaper on 
October 27 of this year. ``Scientists measuring mercury levels made a 
startling discovery at the base of Roaring Mountain [in Yellowstone 
National Park]: possibly the highest levels of mercury ever recorded at 
an undisturbed natural area.'' According to their measurements, the 
scientists found that Yellowstone is a potentially big source of our 
nation's mercury. ``It is conceivable . . . that Yellowstone could emit 
as much mercury as all the coal-fired power plants in Wyoming. . . . 
`That's not a real estimate but something based on just a few 
measurements,' [one of the scientists said] `It could be even bigger 
than that, we just don't know.'''
  It would be intellectually dishonest, for us to assume that, given 
all of the uncertainty in these issues, that industry will sit back and 
quietly assume the cost and burden of emissions reductions without 
either passing them on to consumers or finding a way to excuse itself 
from the limits altogether. The cost of the tax will either be paid by 
consumers who can barely afford their own energy costs today, or we 
will force jobs offshore and into areas where there are no limits on 
energy consumption and pollution.
  There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that this bill is all about 
economics, particularly because that's what the entire global warming 
debate is about. Kyoto was an economic conference disguised as an 
environmental conference.
  EU Commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallstrom once said, 
``This is not a simple environmental issue where you can say it is an 
issue where the scientists are not unanimous. This is about 
international relations, this is about economy, about trying to create 
a level playing field for big businesses throughout the world. You have 
to understand what is at stake and that is why it is serious.''
  I had the opportunity to attend the meetings at Kyoto, and while I 
was there I met with the Chinese and discussed the role that they 
thought they should play in meeting the demands of global climate 
change. They, and all other developing nations have no obligation to 
participate in any climate change agreement. They don't even agree to 
voluntary participation at a future unspecified date. You can't be more 
open ended than that. Incidentally, they intend to be a developing 
nation forever, even after 2010 when they will be the world's biggest 
polluter.
  Should we just sell out to the Chinese?
  If we were to adjust global emissions and measure them on a per gross 
domestic product basis, or in other words, measure the efficiencies and 
end product gained for each energy unit consumed, the United States 
would come out, once again, as the most efficient and most productive 
nation on earth. Europe, on the other hand, come out on the other end 
of the spectrum.
  Why?
  There are a number of factors that contribute to this imbalance but 
the biggest reason has to do with the efficiency of the American 
worker. We produce more goods using less energy than any other nation 
in the history of the world. We are already milking our industrial 
output to a point where any additional efficiencies will result in 
dramatic increases in costs. We have already made the easy adjustments 
and reduced those emissions that are easiest and cheapest to reduce. 
The rest of the world is still catching up to us on those respects and 
it would be easy and cheap for Europe then to reach some of its targets 
and reduce emissions. All they have to do is use some of the technology 
we have already invented.
  For the United States, however, to make the incremental gains it 
needs to make to comply with the limits that this bill would impose 
would require us to either assume costs that would be exponentially 
greater than those assumed by an other nation, or to push those gains 
off onto another sector, more specifically the transportation sector, 
and require us to impose costs on consumers and taxpayers that they 
clearly cannot afford.
  It is a matter of economies of scale and Europe knows it.
  The United States is much physically larger than any other nation 
that we compete against economically. Europe, as a whole, is much 
smaller, much more densely populated and uses much more efficient 
transportation. In the United States, we use our trains primarily to 
carry manufactured goods, as well as clean burning, low sulfur Wyoming 
coal, while Europe's trains, on the other hand, are used almost 
exclusively to carry people. It is much more practical for us to fly 
from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, CA and arrive in a matter of hours 
instead of wasting days on a train. But airplanes burn fuel in great 
amounts and with much less efficiency than other forms of 
transportation. The logical and most cost efficient controls then are 
not to

[[Page 26580]]

limit emissions on industry but to convert those controls into 
limitations on transportation.
  I was at the first Kyoto conference, and incidentally, the US was the 
only country that thought that conference was an environmental 
conference. Everyone else saw it as an economic conference.
  You can understand why I am greatly disturbed when I see a cap 
proposal like the one put forward in this bill, especially when it 
includes calculations on transportation emissions. There is no reason 
to pass a bill like this, to create the kinds of agencies and offices 
that the bill creates and not expect it to lead to the next step where 
its controls over industry emissions-i.e., an energy tax, are converted 
into controls over transportation in other words a transportation tax.
  Our Nation's massive transportation needs will never go away. Nor 
will Europe ever get bigger. As a result of size, then, the energy, or 
rather transportation, taxes required by this bill will put the United 
States at a tremendous economic disadvantage with regard to its 
competitors.
  Fortunately, we are not the only ones to recognize this imbalance. 
Russia recently joined the United States in rejecting a proposal that 
would limit its emissions and put a similar damper on its economy. In 
making a basic cost/benefit analysis, President Putin's chief economic 
advisor, Andrei Illarinov declared, ``If we are to double GDP within 
the next ten years, this will require an average economic growth rate 
of 7.2 percent. No country in the world can double its GDP with a lower 
increase in carbon dioxide omissions or with no increase at all.''
  The great baseball philosopher, Yogi Berra, was right. It is deja vu 
all over again. These are issues we have considered before and we 
already have a clear statement of policy in place in the Byrd-Hagel 
resolution that says, in responding to global climate change concerns, 
we cannot agree to any proposal that would result in serious harm to 
the United States economy. It already says we must work to avoid 
significant job loss, trade disadvantages, and increased energy and 
consumer costs. It also makes it clear that this is a global issue, one 
we can't tackle alone. If we, as a Senate, really want to stand for 
improving global conditions then we should stand behind the principles 
of Byrd-Hagel and insist our global climate change policy does not harm 
America's workers and that all nations responsible for emitting 
greenhouse gasses participate in emissions reductions.
  This proposal would clearly cause serious harm to our Nation's 
economy, cost us American jobs, and result in a tax on our nation's 
energy and transportation systems. These taxes would put our nation at 
a serious disadvantage with our competitors and do nothing to improve 
our environment.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, fellow colleagues, please do not overreact 
by the claim that the climate is changing. The climate has always 
changed naturally. Thanks in large part to scientific research carried 
out in the United States, we know much more about our climate than we 
did a mere quarter-century ago. More than anything else, we now know 
that climate never has been, and never will be, constant.
  When our civilization arose with the flowering of agriculture, some 
5,000 years ago, climate scientists tell us the earth was a few degrees 
warmer than it is today. At one time, what is now the dry desert 
southwest was a much wetter tropical environment. Climate scientists 
also tell us that 300 years ago it was a few degrees colder, Europe 
suffered through the Plagues, ice skaters graced the Thames River in 
London. Mr. President, 150 years ago, when that ``Little Ice Age'' 
ended, America embarked upon its manifest destiny.
  In the last 100 years, the Earth has warmed an additional degree, 
American crop yields quintupled, life span doubled, wealth became 
democratized beyond the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic. In 
that 100 years, our free economy was powered largely by fuels extracted 
from the earth. Some of these produce carbon dioxide, which scientists 
have known, since 1872, can slightly warm the surface of the earth.
  At the same time, our competitive economy forced increased 
efficiency. The family car now uses half as much fuel as it once did. 
Hybrid automobiles achieve as much as seventy miles to the gallon. All 
in all, we produce a dollar's worth of goods and services with 40 
percent less energy than we did a mere 30 years ago.
  This remarkable change, where the freest society on Earth became the 
most capable large economy, did not happen because of massive taxation 
in misguided attempts to direct the lives of free people. No, it 
happened because people were free--free to buy the most proficient 
technology, and, above all, free to invest in corporations who 
understand what people want. And one of those desires is abundant 
energy, used efficiently. As has been said, over and over, the future 
belongs to the efficient.
  And what of the warming of the planet? In the blazing summer of 1988, 
in this Senate Chamber, NASA first raised the spectre of global warming 
caused by carbon dioxide. The alarm was sounded, even as others argued 
that the gloom-and-doom forecasts were overwrought and could lead to 
disastrous policies.
  Fifteen years later, thanks in large part to research fostered by 
this body's committees on science, we know that the calm scientific 
heads were right.
  NASA scientist James Hansen, who first sounded the alarm, now agrees 
with those who were once his critics. Writing in the Proceedings of the 
National Academy of Sciences, he recently stated that we know how much 
the planet will warm in the next 50 years to a very small margin of 
error. That amount is precisely the small warming that the calmer heads 
had forecast some 15 years earlier.
  This same scientist has recently stated that some may have 
exaggerated the threat of global warming for political science 
purposes. Just last month, he wrote in the online journal ``Natural 
Science'': ``Emphasis on extreme scenarios may have been appropriate at 
one time, when the public and policymakers were relatively unaware of 
the global warming issue.'' Moreover, according to a report issued by 
the Global Climate Coalition, mandatory emissions goals could result in 
a loss of gross domestic product equal to $300 billion in 2010 alone, 
assuming that 2010 emissions are held at 1990 levels.
  How many American jobs would be lost as a result? How many companies 
will have to close their doors? I would like to read to you, part of a 
letter from the Secretary of Commerce, Don Evans, Secretary of Labor, 
Elaine Chao, and Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency, Marianne Horinko:

       According to an analysis conducted by the independent 
     Energy Information Administration, S. 139 would cause an 
     estimated average loss of 460,000 American jobs through 2025.

  It goes on to say,

     Instead of improving our economic security through economic 
     growth and job creation, the job losses resulting from S. 139 
     would place an unacceptable burden on American workers and 
     the American people.

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the entire text of this 
letter be printed in the Record immediately following my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. ALLEN. It is not right for any scientist or any other person to 
exaggerate for political effect. But even as much has been made of the 
vociferous debates before the Senate about past climate change, little 
has been said about the remarkable scientific agreement about the 
future.
  Scientists all agree that human affect on any climate change would 
warm the coldest air of winter much more than the heat of the summer. 
When Russia's Prime Minister Putin rejected the Kyoto Protocol last 
week, he noted that, more than anything else, humans have made Siberia 
more habitable, according to Dr. Pat Michaels, State Climatologist at 
The University of Virginia.
  The most recent consensus of scientists is that the rate of any 
warming over a long period of time is very small. And, the slight 
warming trend is

[[Page 26581]]

much lower than the alarmist projections of the United Nations, or 
those who may have touted ``extreme scenarios,'' or those who strive to 
profit politically from climate change scare tactics.
  Then, one may ask, what is to be done? After all, we cannot go on 
adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere forever. We won't. If history 
is any guide, our technology will continue to evolve toward increased 
efficiency, new materials and new propulsion methods in the next 100 
years.
  In 1800, we were a Nation and world moved by animals and wind on 
water. In the next 100 years, the locomotive transformed our economy 
and our Nation. In 1900, the automobile had just been invented. In the 
next 100 years, transportation and energy fueled the great 
democratization of wealth and the spread of culture.
  In 1900, 7,000 people died in the Galveston Hurricane. Mr. President, 
100 years later a similar storm hit Texas and killed no one, thanks to 
advances in meteorology and satellite technology. Could anyone have 
imagined this in 1900, as we buried the dead from the largest natural 
disaster in American history? Hardly. But this is how a free, creative 
world develops if the governments allow ingenuity to thrive to improve 
our lives.
  What will be the technology of the future? No one can say for 
certain. But we all can spur its development by encouraging the 
marketplace in the vast, diverse fields of nanotechnology or 
aeronautics, for prime examples.
  And that is the state of our climate. Climate will continue to 
change. That cannot be stopped. But so will technology change, unless 
the Government chooses to hinder new investment in better materials, 
fuels and systems. Fortunately, now sound science, rather than 
political science, shows warming is a much slower process than was once 
feared.
  My bottom line is that I cannot countenance the loss of tens of 
thousands of American jobs based upon the scientific factual evidence 
surrounding this measure.

                               Exhibit 1

                                                 October 28, 2003.
     Hon. Bill Frist,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Frist: We are writing to state our serious 
     concerns about S. 139, ``The Climate Stewardship Act of 
     2003,'' and to strongly urge that you vote against this bill 
     to avoid the significant job losses and economic harm that it 
     would inflict on our economy, without necessarily achieving 
     any reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions.
       According to an analysis conducted by the independent 
     Energy Information Administration (EIA), S. 139 would cause 
     an estimated average loss of 460,000 American jobs through 
     2025, with estimated job losses reaching 600,000 by 2012. 
     Instead of improving our economic security through economic 
     growth and job creation, the job losses resulting from S. 139 
     would place an unacceptable burden on American workers and 
     the American people. EIA's analysis further reveals the 
     higher energy costs the legislation would impose on American 
     energy consumers: once fully implemented, S. 139 would 
     require a 40 cent per gallon increase in gasoline prices and 
     cause nearly a 50% increase in natural gas and electricity 
     bills.
       As a result of these higher energy costs, EIA projects a 
     net loss of $507 billion (1996 dollars) in Gross Domestic 
     Product over the next two decades. These higher energy costs 
     and reduced economic growth would likely lead American 
     businesses to move overseas, taking jobs with them. As a 
     result, S. 139 may actually lead to an increase in global 
     greenhouse gas emissions as companies formerly in the U.S. 
     move their operations (and emissions) overseas to countries 
     that do not require similar emissions reductions. To 
     compensate for the economic dislocation that S. 139 would 
     cause, the legislation establishes a ``Climate Change Credit 
     Corporation'' for ``transition assistance to dislocated 
     workers and communities.'' However, we believe that the 
     Senate should instead reject this legislation and avoid 
     inflicting the harm that would create the need for such 
     ``transition assistance'' in the first place.
       President Bush has committed the U.S. to an ambitious and 
     comprehensive strategy to address the issue of global climate 
     change. It is based on the recognition that only a growing 
     American economy can make possible the sustained investments 
     in energy and carbon sequestration technologies needed to 
     reduce the projected long-term growth in global greenhouse 
     gas emissions. Because of its negative impacts on jobs and 
     economic growth, we call upon the Senate to reject S. 139 as 
     a misguided means of achieving our international 
     environmental goals.
     Donald L. Evans,
       Secretary of Commerce.
     Elaine L. Chao,
       Secretary of Labor.
     Marianne Horinko,
       Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency.

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, to draw to conclusion this debate, let me 
repeat a couple of things we did last night. I will briefly address the 
science issue. I know there are people out there thinking the science 
is settled. The science is not settled. Last night I went into detail 
and I will repeat a couple of significant points.
  First, Frederick Seitz, the past president of the National Academy of 
Sciences, compiled the Oregon petition which had 17,800 independently 
verified signatures--most of those holding degrees of Ph.D. They came 
to this conclusion: There is no convincing scientific evidence that the 
human release of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gasses is 
causing or will in the foreseeable future cause catastrophic heating of 
the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate.
  Again, the Heidelberg Appeal, over 4,000 scientists, 70 of whom are 
Nobel Prize winners, signed this Heidelberg Appeal that says there is 
no compelling evidence that is existing today to justify controls of 
anthropogenic--man made--greenhouse gas emissions.
  Dr. Richard Lindzen, MIT scientist and member of the National Academy 
of Sciences, said--and I don't think anyone would question his 
credentials--said there is a definite disconnect between Kyoto and 
science. Should a catastrophic scenario prove correct, Kyoto would not 
prevent it.
  Lastly, the Harvard-Smithsonian study, the most exhaustive study out 
there, 240 peer-reviewed papers published by thousands of researchers 
over the last four decades, says the science is flawed. It is important 
people realize that is the situation.
  Probably the most significant item we should have been talking about 
all the time instead of this science--since it is a fact now, I think 
people understand there are scientists on both sides of this issue--is 
what is the effect.
  Last night we had a chance to talk about the National Black Chamber 
of Commerce and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, how it would 
disproportionately hurt them in losing jobs. A study that no one has 
challenged concluded that Kyoto would cost 511,000 jobs of Hispanic 
workers and 864,000 jobs held by Black workers. Is this something we 
all understand?
  My chart is revealing if Members need statistics for their own State. 
The State of Illinois is losing 159,000 jobs; the State of Indiana 
loses 194,000. This is a study done by Penn State University.
  The other significant point is that we are voting on an amendment. 
This amendment is somewhat pared down. Everyone realizes that this 
amendment, as has been stated many times by the distinguished Senator 
from Connecticut as well as the Senator from Arizona, is just a first 
step. So everyone has to look at this. This is the Kyoto Treaty. It 
needs to be looked at in that respect.
  I reserve the remainder of my time.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I yield to Senator McCain the remaining 
2 minutes.
  Mr. McCAIN. I thank my friend. Since I will not speak again, I thank 
the Senator from Oklahoma for engaging in a spirited and, I hope, 
informative debate. I thank, of course, my friend from Connecticut, 
Senator Lieberman.
  Briefly, as to this petition that keeps being referred to--the 
petition was led by Frederick Seitz, former president of the National 
Academy of Sciences--an article in the New York Times on April 22, 
1998, entitled ``Science Academy Disputes Attack On Global Warms,'' 
states:

       The National Academy of Sciences has disassociated itself 
     from a statement and petition circulated by one of its former 
     presidents which disagrees with the scientific conclusions 
     underlying international efforts to control greenhouse gas 
     emissions.


[[Page 26582]]


  By the way, Virginia Spice of the Spice Girls, BJ Hunnicutt of 
``Mash,'' and Perry Mason were among the signatories to that. They are 
all respected in their individual fields.
  I do not believe that 10 States in the Northeast would agree to a 
proposal that this is exactly modeled on, if there was going to be some 
devastating effect on the economies of 10 Northeastern States.
  Let's get real. This is a very minimal proposal, one that is a first 
step. I agree with the Senator from Oklahoma because it does not begin 
to comprehensively address the problem, but we have to start somewhere. 
We have to start somewhere. We have to begin to address this issue.
  This debate is important. I assure my colleagues, we will be back 
because those pictures that I showed are going to get worse and worse 
until we begin to address this issue.
  I thank my colleagues and yield the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I inquire as to how much time is remaining 
on both sides.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Two minutes thirty seconds for the Senator 
from Oklahoma. The Senator from Connecticut has 3 minutes 45 seconds.
  Mr. INHOFE. All right. I say to the Senator from Connecticut, if it 
is your wish, I will be very glad to defer to you to conclude debate on 
this matter.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. No thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, let me get back to something the Senator 
from Arizona said. He is not on the floor now. He mentioned some of the 
signatures were not verified. They keep using this same argument, which 
has been refuted over and over again. The Perry Mason he refers to 
happens to be a Ph.D. chemist. It is documented. Again, we are talking 
about some 17,000 scientists there. There are 4,000 scientists on the 
Heidelberg Petition.
  Of course, Richard Lindzen, I don't think anyone is going to question 
his credibility. These studies--particularly the Harvard-Smithsonian 
study--is a very significant one.
  I think the debate has been good. I do not question it when the 
Senator from Arizona--who I respect immensely--says we will be back. I 
am hoping it will be necessary to come back because I am hoping we will 
defeat this amendment. But it is very significant.
  Lastly, let me mention I do not know how so many of these groups 
could be wrong. We have almost every union in the country--the 
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International 
Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Mine Workers, the United Steel 
Workers. We have all these jobs shown up here, some 3.6 million jobs, 
that would be lost. This analysis was done by a credible organization, 
Penn State University.
  I cannot imagine that any Member of this Senate would come up here 
and look at this chart and not realize that here we are--we have been 
going through a recession that began in March of 2000, and we are now 
pulling out of this recession. The jobs are looking good right now. For 
something such as this to pass would push us right back in a 
devastating position.
  So when you look at what we are talking about today, we are talking 
about something that would pass in America and that would not have 
anything to do with Mexico, anything to do with China, anything to do 
with India. I can assure you, right now people from those countries are 
sitting back with their fingers crossed, hoping this passes, because 
this would be the biggest jobs bill for Mexico and India and the other 
developing nations that we could pass.
  I say to Senator Lieberman, thank you very much for the spirited 
debate, as I also thank the Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my time, if there is any.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. You have 1 second.
  Mr. INHOFE. I reserve that.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Oklahoma as 
well. It has been a spirited debate. It has been an important and 
historic debate, but it is the first, I would guess, of many on this 
critical subject.
  I must say, it has been a disappointing debate in one regard for me; 
that is, we are still disagreeing about whether global warming is a 
problem. The fact is, the overwhelming evidence, upheld by scientists 
around the world and in America--the National Academy of Sciences, et 
cetera--says that the planet is warming, and it is happening because of 
human activity.
  You cannot look at this picture, a satellite picture--seeing the 
reduction of the white part from where it was; and the red lines show 
what it was in 1979, 24 years ago--and not say it is real.
  Senator Akaka from Hawaii told us last night that the sea level is 
rising around Hawaii. Senator Snowe of Maine told us that the sugar 
maples are dying because it is getting warmer. I myself reported on a 
story from Inupiat Indians in Alaska saying they had seen robins for 
the first time in their village because it is getting warmer.
  This is real. I wish we could agree on the reality and then argue 
about what we should do about it. As I hear the science--so-called--
cited on the other side, I want to predict, respectfully, that we are 
going to look back at those scientific testaments and put them in the 
same category as the scientific studies that were introduced by the 
tobacco industry years ago, saying that tobacco did not harm health or 
cause cancer, or the studies that were introduced by the chemical 
industry that said chlorofluorocarbons did not put a hole in the ozone 
layer, all of which we know now were just plain bunk. I am afraid that 
is the way we are going to look back at this evidence offered in this 
debate.
  Secondly, a lot of the argument about the impact of our proposal on 
costs and cost of living and jobs is not related to our proposal. It is 
about the Kyoto protocol. It is about earlier legislation. It is not 
about the McCain-Lieberman amendment before the Senate for a vote.
  The one study on our amendment, the MIT independent study, says, in 
fact, costs will go down in the energy field, that the average cost per 
household will be $20 a year--well worth what we are going to get in 
return for a safer, better life for our children and grandchildren. 
They say there is no job loss that can be expected. In fact, a lot of 
major entrepreneurs and investors--and I put a letter in the Record to 
Senator Snowe from 60 leading entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, who 
say our amendment will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. I ask 
unanimous consent that letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                         Silver Lake Partners,

                                 Menlo Park, CA, October 17, 2004.
     Senator Olympia Snowe,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Snowe; I am pleased to enclose a letter from 
     60 Silicon Valley business leaders concerned about the 
     growing threat of global warming. This group comprises CEOs 
     and successful entrepreneurs, distinguished engineers, 
     scientists, and investors. Together, we manage companies with 
     total revenues of $70 billion and over 300,000 employees 
     around the world. Our firms have an aggregate market value of 
     over $160 billion. The venture capitalists and private equity 
     investors among us, primarily focused on commercializing new 
     technology, manage over $44 billion in risk capital.
       Operating at the core of our modern economy, we recognize 
     the role science and industry play in keeping our country 
     vital. While we are Democrats, Republicans and Independents 
     with often contrasting political views, we share a deep 
     concern about the specter of global warming and potentially 
     devastating effects of climate change. We urge you to take 
     appropriate measures to address this critically important 
     issue.
       Thank you for your consideration.
           Kind regards,
                                                       David Roux,
     Managing Director.
                                  ____



                            Open Letter From Business Leaders,

                                                 October 17, 2003.
     Senator Olympia Snowe,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Snowe: We are business leaders and scientists 
     alarmed by the reality of global warming.

[[Page 26583]]

       Schooled in science and innovation, we recognize that the 
     risks and complexities of climate change are significant, but 
     strongly believe that drive and ingenuity can manage those 
     risks and solve those complexities. While any response that 
     is sufficient to avert dangerous climate change will be long 
     term, the nature of the problem requires action now. The 
     required response--global and domestic--must be equitable and 
     support economic growth based on free market principles.
       As entrepreneurs who co-exist with government policies, we 
     know that truly effective policies set clear goals and leave 
     businesses free to decide how to meet those goals at lowest 
     cost. We trust any policies you propose have serious 
     environmental goals and encourage the prudent use of market 
     forces to achieve them.
       Policies employing strict goals and flexible means unleash 
     the power of competition and spur innovation to protect the 
     environment. A healthy economy and a healthy environment go 
     hand in hand. American business has the ingenuity to solve 
     the problem of global warming while continuing to prosper. 
     Indeed, businesses that find ways to lead in solving this 
     problem will prosper even more.
       While there is still debate about the levels of greenhouse 
     gas reductions necessary to stabilize the climate and protect 
     the United States economy, several things are clear:
       Reductions must begin immediately;
       Voluntary efforts alone won't do the job; and
       Any mandatory restrictions must employ market incentives.
       We congratulate you for recognizing these needs and for 
     your efforts to see that the Senate addresses them.
           Sincerely,
                                    Business Leaders Taking Action
                                                on Climate Change.

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, this is a call to responsibility. It is 
a call to leadership.
  I remember last year, as we were coming close to the vote on the Iraq 
resolution, I met with a group of officials from the administration and 
Congress--members of both parties--with the Minister of Defense from an 
allied government. Somebody from the administration said: How can we 
get the Europeans to support us more on the potential of a war against 
Saddam?
  The European Minister said: Get the administration to do something 
about global warming.
  This inaction, lack of leadership, debunking by the administration of 
the problem, failure to accept responsibility is part of the reason we 
are so deeply divided from some of our closest allies.
  Senator McCain and I and our cosponsors on both sides of the aisle 
have put ourselves on a course. History calls us to action. We will not 
leave this course until the day--may it come sooner than later--when we 
adopt this amendment or something very much like it.
  I thank the Chair. I thank my colleagues and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired.
  Mr. INHOFE. I believe, Mr. President, I have 1 second remaining.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, in my last second, I ask unanimous consent 
that the list of labor unions, agricultural organizations, and other 
organizations opposing S. 139 be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the materials was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 What Do All These Groups Agree On? Lieberman-McCain is Bad for America

       The 60 Plus Association, Aluminum Association, American 
     Association of Port Authorities, American Bakers Association, 
     American Boiler Manufacturers Association, American Chemistry 
     Council, American Health Care Association, American Highway 
     Users Alliance, American Iron and Steel Institute, American 
     Public Power Association, American Road and Transportation 
     Builders Association, American Sheep Industry Association, 
     American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, 
     American Trucking Association, American Waterways Operators, 
     Americans for Tax Reform, Association of Equipment 
     Manufacturers, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, 
     Brotherhood of Railroad Signalman, Center for Energy and 
     Economic Development, Council of Industrial Boiler Owners, 
     Edison Electric Institute, Federation of American Hospitals, 
     Frontiers of Freedom, General Mills, Goodman Manufacturing 
     Corporation, Institute of Makers of Explosives, Intermodal 
     Association of North America, International Brotherhood of 
     Boilermakers, International Brotherhood of Electrical 
     Workers, International Dairy Foods Association, Motor Freight 
     Carriers Association, National Association of Manufacturers, 
     National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cattleman's 
     Beef Association, National Food Processors Association, 
     National Grange, National Mining Association, National 
     Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, National 
     Rural Electric Cooperative Association, National Waterways 
     Conference, Inc., Portland Cement Association, Railway Supply 
     Institute, The Salt Institute, The Seniors Coalition, Small 
     Business Survival Committee, Snack Food Association, US 
     Chamber of Commerce, United Mine Workers of America, United 
     Seniors Association, United Transportation Union.

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, thank you very much.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have not spoken to the two managers, but I 
feel confident it would be OK with them. This is not in the form of a 
unanimous consent request.
  Following the vote, Senator Boxer wishes to speak for 10 minutes. 
Following that, Senator Bingaman is ready to offer his amendment. He 
will take a limited period of time. Following that, Senator Leahy has 
an amendment. He has asked for 30 minutes.
  So that is just general information we are going to try to move on as 
quickly as possible on the Healthy Forests matter.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the Lieberman-
McCain amendment.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. 
Edwards) is necessarily absent.
  I also announce that the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Nelson) is 
attending a family funeral.
  I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from 
Nebraska (Mr. Nelson) would vote ``nay.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bunning). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 43, nays 55, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 420 Leg.]

                                YEAS--43

     Akaka
     Bayh
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Clinton
     Collins
     Corzine
     Daschle
     Dayton
     Dodd
     Durbin
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Graham (FL)
     Gregg
     Harkin
     Hollings
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Lieberman
     Lugar
     McCain
     Mikulski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Snowe
     Stabenow
     Wyden

                                NAYS--55

     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bennett
     Bond
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Chambliss
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Craig
     Crapo
     DeWine
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Hagel
     Hatch
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Levin
     Lincoln
     Lott
     McConnell
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Roberts
     Santorum
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Specter
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Edwards
     Nelson (NE)
       
  The amendment (No. 2028) was rejected.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. REID. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I have a unanimous consent request. We 
have just voted on the amendment. I ask unanimous consent that the 
underlying bill be referred back to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, after extensive consideration of the 
views of

[[Page 26584]]

many constituents who have contacted me on this very important bill, I 
decided to vote against it because of the open questions on the impact 
on climate and the consequences for the national and State economies, 
which are very fragile at the moment.
  It is always a difficult matter to balance environmental protection 
and the need for economic development and jobs. I believe that global 
warming is a matter of great international importance and the 43 votes 
in favor of this bill puts the administration and others on notice that 
there is considerable sentiment for stronger action to address this 
problem.
  I have voted for environmental protection for renewable energy and 
conservation measures, and I have initiated legislation to limit the 
amount of oil which will be consumed at various intervals in the 
future.
  As a Pennsylvania Senator, I have a particular interest in the 
continued use of coal, our Nation's most abundant energy supply, 
especially in the context of the billions of tons of bituminous coal in 
the western part of Pennsylvania and anthracite coal in the eastern 
part of Pennsylvania. This bill would have a serious impact on our 
steel industry, our chemical industry, and manufacturing.
  In this context, it is very difficult to adopt a limit by the year 
2010 since we cannot predict at this time what the situation will be 
with our national and State economies.
  In addition, it is very difficult to limit industry in the United 
States when we do not have a plan for the rest of the world in curbing 
green house gas emissions. That would have a harmful effect on the 
competitiveness of the United States. An international plan is 
necessary. Unilateral action by the United States would not solve the 
problem. I have, with other Senators, urged the President to work 
through international means to address global climate change. I support 
his efforts and those of the individual companies to curb voluntarily 
domestic emissions, but it is likely that stronger action will have to 
be taken in the future on a multilateral basis.
  These questions remain: What would the reductions under this 
legislation do to climate change? What are the anticipated costs? Who 
would pay the costs? What are particularly vulnerable industries that 
could not, for instance, pass on any increased energy costs? What is 
the expected impact on fuel supply and demand, particularly with regard 
to fuel-switching and natural gas prices? What will happen to economic 
growth and overall competitiveness in a global economy if only U.S. 
emissions are reduced?
  While I was unable to support this particular bill, I believe it will 
give impetus to action to deal with global warming. I look forward to 
working with my colleagues in the Senate on this important issue in the 
hopes of finding common ground and a sensible balance between the goals 
of environmental protection and economic development. I encourage 
supporters and opponents of this bill to consider the concerns of each 
other and work in earnest to bridge the many differences in support of 
the common good.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, although I am extremely concerned about 
global warming, I voted in opposition to Senator McCain and Senator 
Lieberman's Climate Stewardship Act. My chief concern was that this 
bill would raise gas and electric prices at a time when Arkansas' 
economy is struggling to recover and many residents from my state are 
finding it difficult to make ends meet.
  I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to seek a solution to 
global warming. But at this time, when our economy is struggling and 
our federal deficit is at record levels, I can not support a measure 
which in all likelihood will result in higher energy prices for 
consumers in Arkansas and a loss of jobs in my state. If the United 
States stands alone on this issue, I fear other countries will be able 
to take businesses away from our country with the lure of weaker 
environmental regulations. A comprehensive global solution must be 
developed that includes all nations. I do believe we must continue to 
work toward initiatives to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and 
encourage cleaner sources of energy, such as the numerous biodiesel 
measures I have fought to include in the Energy bill.
  I would like to take this opportunity to voice my opposition to the 
Bush administration's view on this subject. The indifferent and callous 
approach taken to global climate change sent a message to the world 
that this issue is not a priority. President Bush has stated that 
compelling evidence of global warming does not exist. I disagree. It is 
time for the administration to change its policy. It is only through 
cooperation with the global community that we can see these warming 
trends reversed. I applaud the efforts of Senators McCain and Lieberman 
in bringing this bill before the Senate when few committee chairmen 
showed interest in it. While I was not able to support them today for 
the reasons I have stated, I am eager to work with them in the future 
to find a solution to this important issue.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
explain why I had to oppose the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship 
Act.
  First, let me say that my vote does not reflect a change my belief 
that global climate change is a serious problem, perhaps one of the 
most serious long-term environmental and public health problems facing 
the world over the next century. I am deeply disappointed that this 
administration has decided not to actively engage the world on this 
issue and has in fact disengaged itself from the world on global 
climate change. I echo the concerns of the distinguished Senator from 
West Virginia, Senator Byrd, that the administration's approach is 
short-sighted, and that it is no longer constructive to argue that 
human-caused emissions are not contributing to the warming of the 
earth. The science is just too strong to believe otherwise.
  The administration's approach is frustrating because engaging the 
world particularly the developing world--is the only way we will ever 
get a handle on rising greenhouse gas emissions. Small reductions in 
emissions made by the U.S. will be meaningless if those reductions are 
made unilaterally. We must have assurances that the world is moving 
hand in hand with us--and is making similar sacrifices--before we 
handicap our own economy.
  This will take time, but solving the problem of global warming is a 
life-time endeavor by any estimate, for our generation, and the next. 
Part of this effort will include massive investments in new energy 
technologies, in renewables, in alternative energy, in hybrid cars and 
fuel cells, and in making our economy and the world's economy more 
energy efficient. It will likely, if and when the United States takes 
the leadership roll on this issue that it should, involve mandatory 
greenhouse gas reductions by all nations.
  I would like to compliment Senators McCain and Lieberman for working 
so hard on this proposal, and for attempting to find a balanced 
solution. If we had more time, and more attention from the 
administration, I am confident that we could work together on a common 
sense bill that would achieve meaningful reductions in U.S. greenhouse 
gas emissions without threatening the U.S. economy or our global 
competitiveness. Such a bill would hopefully complement a meaningful 
and real global consensus on how to address human-caused climate 
change.
  I voted against McCain-Lieberman today because I don't think the 
country is ready to take the steps outlined in their bill and because I 
was concerned about the impacts on my state, particularly agriculture, 
from increased natural gas prices. But I agree that we must move 
forward aggressively to put the United States and the world on track to 
significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It will only get 
harder the longer we continue to ignore the problem.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues, Senators 
McCain and Lieberman, for all their

[[Page 26585]]

hard work on S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act, and express my full 
support for this legislation. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass the 
Senate. This bipartisan legislation would have been a meaningful step 
in the right direction toward reducing our Nation's greenhouse gas 
emissions and would have helped address the problem of global warming.
  There is no question that climate change is one of the most serious 
environmental challenges facing this nation and the world. We know that 
climate change is real. The overwhelming weight of scientific opinion 
supports the idea that climate change is occurring, that it is human-
induced, that it will have significant and harmful consequences, and 
that we need to do something about it.
  California has a great deal to lose if we do not take steps to halt 
and reverse climate change. My State enjoys tremendous ecological 
diversity ranging from our cool and wet redwood forests of the North 
Coast, to the hot Mojave and Colorado deserts in the southeast, to the 
vast fertile agricultural stretches in the Central Valley. Climate 
change is a very real threat to those natural ecosystems.
  Scientific predictions indicate that human-induced global warming may 
produce a 3- to 10-degree rise in temperature over the next 97 years. 
That may not initially sound dramatic. But it would be enough to change 
the timing and amount of precipitation in my State. This could, for 
instance, lead to decreased summer stream flows, which would intensify 
the already significant controversy over the allocation of water for 
urban, agricultural and environmental needs.
  Scientists also predict that by the year 2050, California will face 
higher average temperatures every month of the year in every part of 
the State. The average temperature in June in the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains, for instance, could increase by 11 degrees Fahrenheit. The 
snowpack in the Sierra, which is a vital source of water in the State, 
is expected to drop by 13 feet and to have melted entirely nearly 2 
months earlier than it does now. This means that the precious water on 
which we now rely for agriculture, drinking water, and other purposes.
  In light of the threat global warming poses to my State, the Nation, 
and the world, I believe we must take steps to reduce our greenhouse 
gas emissions.
  The Climate Stewardship Act would have required companies in the 
energy, transportation and manufacturing sectors to reduce their 
greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2010. The bill would have 
provided tax incentives for the development of energy-efficient 
technology. The Climate Stewardship Act would have also encouraged the 
use of environmentally-friendly manufacturing technology.
  This bill would have provided a reasonable approach to help us 
achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gases and addressing global 
warming. I am extremely disappointed that the Senate did not pass this 
legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, what is the regular order?

                          ____________________