Towards a Sound Policy on Global Warming

April 11, 2003

Chairman Pete Domenici

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

U.S. Senate

SD-364 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510-6150

Dear Chairman Domenici:

On behalf of the 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I applaud your decision to omit the climate change title from the committee’s 2003 comprehensive energy bill. The omitted climate title provisions would have institutionalized the assertion that human induced emission significantly contribute to global warming and opened the door to Kyoto Protocol-style caps on greenhouse gases emissions, most notably carbon dioxide.

Regrettably, introducing climate change language to the comprehensive energy bill would have preempted a national debate on the issue. Without your reasonable action, advocates of Kyoto-style mandates could have easily used the committee’s energy bill as proof of the Senate’s acceptance that Kyoto-style reductions in greenhouse gases are necessary and effective. However, despite claims of a “consensus” in the scientific community about the reality of human-induced global climate change, a serious debate continues in the climate science community about fossil fuels, global climate change, and the many uncertainties that remain unresolved.

Before taxpayers should be forced to pay for such policies, the scientific community must ascertain that human induced global warming is actually occurring and that the prescribed policies can effectively address the issue. Therefore, Congress should avoid policies that threaten the nation’s economic welfare and growth prior to resolving important scientific uncertainties. Your decision to omit the climate change language from the Senate energy bill is an important step in the right direction.

Sincerely,

Paul Beckner

President and CEO

Citizens for a Sound Economy

cc: All Senate members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Alex Flint, Chief of Staff, Energy and Natural Resources Committee