Text: Bush Will Not Require Power Plants to Reduce Carbon Emissions

President Bush says his administration will not require U.S. power plants to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas believed by many scientists to be a key contributor to global warming.

In a March 13 letter to four Republican senators, Bush said he did not believe "that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant' under the Clean Air Act."

Bush said he remained committed to an energy policy that sought to improve air quality by requiring power plants to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury, which are already regulated as pollutants.

In his letter, the president cited a recent Energy Department study which he said concluded that regulating carbon dioxide emissions "would lead to an even more dramatic shift from coal to natural gas for electric power generation and significantly higher electricity prices compared to scenarios in which only sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides were reduced.

"This is important new information that warrants a reevaluation, especially at a time of rising energy prices and a serious energy shortage," Bush added. "Coal generates more than half of America's electricity supply."

The decision not to regulate the carbon dioxide emissions of power plants reverses a pledge made by Bush last September during the presidential campaign, in which he promised to set "mandatory reduction targets" for carbon dioxide.

As recently as 10 days ago, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman noted that the Bush administration was considering mandating reductions on carbon dioxide emissions at power plants, a proposal that has drawn criticism from industry groups.

Bush's letter was released just a day after the White House received a letter from 13 environmental groups, including the American Lung Association and the Union of Concerned Scientists, urging Bush to move quickly to fulfill his campaign promise to clean up power plant emissions of four major pollutants, including carbon dioxide.

In his letter, the president, while emphasizing that he takes the issue of global climate change very seriously, reiterated his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol -- a U.N. treaty that calls on industrialized countries to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The treaty, negotiated and signed by the former Clinton administration, has not yet been ratified.

Bush said he opposes the treaty because it exempts 80 percent of the world, including major population centers such as China and India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the U.S. economy.

Following is the text of the letter, which was addressed to Senators Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Larry E. Craig of Idaho.

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

March 13, 2001

Text of a Letter from the President to Senators Hagel, Helms, Craig, and Roberts

Thank you for your letter of March 6, 2001, asking for the Administration's views on global climate change, in particular the Kyoto Protocol and efforts to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act. My Administration takes the issue of global climate change very seriously.

As you know, I oppose the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts 80 percent of the world, including major population centers such as China and India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the U.S. economy. The Senate's vote, 95-0, shows that there is a clear consensus that the Kyoto Protocol is an unfair and ineffective means of addressing global climate change concerns.

As you also know, I support a comprehensive and balanced national energy policy that takes into account the importance of improving air quality. Consistent with this balanced approach, I intend to work with the Congress on a multipollutant strategy to require power plants to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury. Any such strategy would include phasing in reductions over a reasonable period of time, providing regulatory certainty, and offering market-based incentives to help industry meet the targets. I do not believe, however, that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a "pollutant" under the Clean Air Act.

A recently released Department of Energy Report, "Analysis of Strategies for Reducing Multiple Emissions from Power Plants," concluded that including caps on carbon dioxide emissions as part of a multiple emissions strategy would lead to an even more dramatic shift from coal to natural gas for electric power generation and significantly higher electricity prices compared to scenarios in which only sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides were reduced.

This is important new information that warrants a reevaluation, especially at a time of rising energy prices and a serious energy shortage. Coal generates more than half of America's electricity supply. At a time when California has already experienced energy shortages, and other Western states are worried about price and availability of energy this summer, we must be very careful not to take actions that could harm consumers. This is especially true given the incomplete state of scientific knowledge of the causes of, and solutions to, global climate change and the lack of commercially available technologies for removing and storing carbon dioxide.

Consistent with these concerns, we will continue to fully examine global climate change issues -- including the science, technologies, market-based systems, and innovative options for addressing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. I am very optimistic that, with the proper focus and working with our friends and allies, we will be able to develop technologies, market incentives, and other creative ways to address global climate change.

I look forward to working with you and others to address global climate change issues in the context of a national energy policy that protects our environment, consumers, and economy.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

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