Bill 4761

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                    4761
Type of Legislation:            House Resolution HR
Introducing Body:               House
Introduced Date:                19980304
Primary Sponsor:                Sharpe 
All Sponsors:                   Sharpe 
Drafted Document Number:        bbm\9750jm.98
Companion Bill Number:          1132
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:   19980401
Subject:                        Kyoto Protocol, U.S. President and
                                Senate requests not to sign; Federal
                                Government, Global Climate Change

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19980401  Adopted
House   19980331  Committee report: Favorable              24 HIMR
House   19980304  Introduced, referred to Committee        24 HIMR

COMMITTEE REPORT

March 31, 1998

H. 4761

S. Printed 3/31/98--H.

Read the first time March 4, 1998.

To whom was referred a House Resolution (H. 4761), to memorialize the President of the United States not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, etc., respectfully

That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

RICHARD M. QUINN, JR., for Committee.

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO MEMORIALIZE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES NOT TO SIGN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL OR TO SUBMIT THE SAME FOR RATIFICATION TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE UNLESS THE PROTOCOL IS AMENDED OR OTHERWISE REVISED, CONSISTENT WITH UNITED STATES SENATE RESOLUTION 98, TO INCLUDE SPECIFIC SCHEDULED COMMITMENTS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO MITIGATE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS WITHIN THE SAME COMPLIANCE PERIOD OR PERIODS AS REQUIRED FOR DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, AND TO MEMORIALIZE THE UNITED STATES SENATE TO REJECT ANY PROPOSED PROTOCOL OR OTHER AMENDMENT TO THE 1992 UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE (FCCC) THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH UNITED STATES SENATE RESOLUTION 98 OR THAT DOES NOT COMPLY FULLY WITH THAT RESOLUTION.

Whereas, the United States is a signatory to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change (FCCC); and

Whereas, a proposed protocol to expand the scope of the FCCC was negotiated in December of 1997 in Kyoto, Japan (Kyoto Protocol), potentially requiring the United States to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by seven percent from 1990 levels during the period 2008 to 2012, with potentially larger emission reductions thereafter; and

Whereas, the Kyoto Protocol would require other major industrial nations to reduce emissions from 1990 levels by six percent to eight percent during the period 2008 to 2012, with potentially larger emission reductions thereafter; and

Whereas, President Clinton pledged on October 22, 1997 that "the United States will not assume binding obligations (in Kyoto) unless key developing nations meaningfully participate in the effort"; and

Whereas, on July 25, 1997, the United States Senate adopted Senate Resolution 98 by a vote of 95-0, expressing the sense of the Senate that "the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol to or other agreement regarding the Framework Convention on Climate Change...which would require the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, and which would mandate new commitments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for the Developed Country Parties, unless the protocol or other agreement also mandates specific scheduled commitments within the same compliance period to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for Developing Country Parties"; and

Whereas, developing nations are exempt from greenhouse gas emission limitation requirements in the FCCC and refused in the Kyoto negotiations to accept any new commitments for greenhouse gas emission limitations through the Kyoto Protocol; and

Whereas, manmade emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are caused primarily by the combustion of oil, coal, and natural gas fuels by industries, automobiles, homes, and other uses of energy; and

Whereas, the United States relies on carbon-based fossil fuels for more than ninety percent of its total energy supply; and

Whereas, achieving the emission reductions proposed by the Kyoto Protocol would require a thirty-eight percent reduction in projected United States carbon emissions during the period 2008 to 2012; and

Whereas, government and industry in the United States are implementing numerous energy conservation and efficiency programs and increasingly stringent air quality improvement programs but, nevertheless, will have great difficulty meeting the emission reduction target because of economic and population growth; and

Whereas, developing countries exempt from emission limitations under the Kyoto Protocol are expected to increase their rates of fossil fuel use over the next two decades and to surpass the United States and other industrialized countries in total emissions of greenhouse gases; and

Whereas, voluntary carbon dioxide reductions from United States' industries and voluntary transfer to developing countries of technologies that will assist them in achieving energy efficiency and improved air quality are worthy of support; and

Whereas, studies prepared for the Global Climate Coalition indicate that a carbon tax or permit fee of two hundred dollars per metric ton would be required to return 2010 emissions to 1990 levels and that South Carolina would suffer significant economic losses as its export-oriented industries would be put at significant competitive disadvantage; real gross state product (GSP) would fall 2.5 percent below the baseline in 2010; real tax revenues in South Carolina would fall 1.8 percent below the baseline projection in 2010, an amount equivalent to 174.8 million dollars in 1992 dollars; South Carolina could lose 23,800 jobs by 2010, including 9,700 manufacturing jobs, 4,300 jobs in the transportation, telecommunications, and utility sectors, and 10,800 jobs in the service sector; industrial firms in South Carolina would be burdened in the global competition for markets with price increases of seventy-nine percent for delivered natural gas and sixty-seven percent for electricity versus baseline levels in 2010; residential electricity prices could increase by 46.1 percent in South Carolina, and natural gas prices could be 47.5 percent higher; and

Whereas, the Kyoto Protocol could lead to the transfer to energy intensive industries from South Carolina to overseas and result in increased emissions of greenhouse gases by developing nations, thereby offsetting any environmental benefits associated with reductions achieved by the United States and other developed countries. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, memorializes the President of the United States not to sign the Kyoto Protocol or to submit the same for ratification to the United States Senate unless the protocol is amended or otherwise revised, consistent with United States Senate Resolution 98, to include specific scheduled commitments for developing countries to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions within the same compliance period or periods as required for developed countries.

Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives memorializes the United States Senate to reject any proposed protocol or other amendment to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change (FCCC) that is inconsistent with United States Senate Resolution 98 or that does not comply fully with that resolution.

Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, and the eight members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation, all at Washington, D.C.