Letter to President of the United States of America George W. Bush

June 22, 2006

Dear President Bush:

I am writing to express concern about the lack of progress that the United States is making to address climate change. Global warming is one of the most serious environmental, social, and economic threats facing our world, and I urge you to provide meaningful leadership to address this issue.

Over the past several years, an increasing number of our nation's leading scientists have concluded that there is a discernible human influence on the global climate. More than 2,400 prominent scientists and more than 2,500 economists, including eight Nobel Laureates, have stated that action is necessary to reduce the environmental, economic, and social risks of continuing accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. On January 18, 2006, six former administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they believe global warming is a real problem that should not be ignored, and in the last year, leading climate scientists have stated that the world may be warming more quickly than expected, with potentially more damaging consequences.

A year ago, the Senate passed a resolution calling for mandatory action to "slow, stop, and reverse" global warming emissions. Decisive action is needed to protect our children and future generations from the long-term consequences of climate changes, and I believe that our nation should play a leading role in addressing this threat. A growing number of states and cities are acting to address climate change, and the federal government must be a partner to both the international community and our governors and mayors. Therefore, I urge you to support five meaningful steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: (1) initiate mandatory emissions cap programs; (2) increase CAFE standards; (3) support a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS); (4) fully fund energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; and (5) support an oil savings program to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

First, as you mentioned during your 2000 election campaign, a mandatory emissions reduction program with carbon dioxide targets is needed to reduce global warming. Local and regional initiatives to reduce emission levels are being implemented, and it is critical that the federal government support these efforts. Such a program will reduce uncertainty for investments and allow businesses to create their long-term business plans with emission caps in mind. I believe that we must act now to reduce our current emissions levels.

Transportation accounts for one-third of our nation's global warming emissions, and gasoline consumption in the transportation sector represents about 44 percent of total oil consumption in the United States each year. To bring about any serious reduction in our dependence on foreign oil and these greenhouse gases that we release into the atmosphere, we must increase the fuel efficiency of our cars and light trucks. This can be accomplished through an increase in CAFE standards as well as by promoting the use of hybrids and vehicles that use alternative fuels. In model year 2002, the average fuel economy for cars and light trucks was 20.4 miles per gallon - a 22-year low. Yet, if performance and weight had stayed constant since 1981, the average fuel economy would have improved 33 percent - enough to displace the amount of oil we import from the Persian Gulf 2.5 times over. I urge you to support an increase of CAFE standards for both passenger cars and sport utility vehicles of roughly ten miles by 2017 from the current overall fleet average of 25.2 miles per gallon.

I request that you show your support for recent state initiatives by backing a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requiring 20 percent of the nation's electricity to be derived from renewable energy by 2020. Ensuring that a minimum amount of renewable energy is included in our nation's electricity portfolio will put us on the path toward increasing sustainability. Across the nation, state governments have restructured their electricity portfolios with their own renewable portfolio standards and are taking the lead on reducing emissions. It is my hope that your leadership can help set a uniform federal policy that will encourage investments in the renewable energy field and aid in decreasing our nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

Fully funding energy efficiency and renewable energy programs can reduce our demand for fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change. Funding for these programs is also our nation's best means of addressing a secure energy future. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 called for a 50 percent increase in energy efficiency funding over the next five years. Unfortunately, your Administration's FY07 budget request cuts funding for core energy efficiency programs by over $100 million, or about 18 percent compared to the FY 2006 level. Under your Administration, there has been a six-year decline in efficiency spending.

Lastly, I urge you to support the oil savings strategy included in the bipartisan Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act, S. 2025. This legislation would direct the federal government to develop and implement a plan to reduce U.S. oil dependence, starting with oil savings of 2.5 million barrels of oil per day within ten years and increasing these savings significantly by 2025.

We need aggressive action to address global warming and encourage investments to reduce harmful emissions. The United States will only face more painful environmental, social, and economic effects by delaying meaningful action on global warming. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Jack Reed

United States Senator

http://reed.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=257743&&