Session of 1998
                   
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1619
         
By Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
         
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            9             A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the United States govern-
10             ment not to sign or ratify the Kyoto Protocol unless it includes a spe-
11             cific commitment for developing countries to mitigate greenhouse gas
12             emissions.
13            
14           WHEREAS, The United States is a signatory to the 1992 United
15       Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change; and
16           WHEREAS, A proposed protocol to expand the scope of the Frame-
17       work Convention on Global Climate Change was negotiated in December
18       1997 in Kyoto, Japan (``Kyoto Protocol''), potentially requiring the United
19       States and other developed countries to reduce emissions from 1990 lev-
20       els by 6% to 8% during the period 2008 to 2012, with potentially larger
21       emission reductions thereafter; and
22           WHEREAS, President William J. Clinton pledged on October 22,
23       1997, that ``The United States will not assume binding obligations (in
24       Kyoto) unless key developing nations meaningfully participate in this ef-
25       fort''; and
26           WHEREAS, On July 25, 1997, the United States Senate adopted Sen-
27       ate Resolution No. 98 by a vote of 95-0, expressing the sense of the Senate
28       that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol to the
29       Framework Convention on Global Climate Change which would mandate
30       new commitments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for the devel-
31       oped countries, unless the protocol also mandates specific scheduled
32       commitments within the same compliance period to mitigate greenhouse
33       gas emissions for developing countries; and
34           WHEREAS, Developing countries are exempt from greenhouse gas
35       emission limitation requirements in the Framework Convention on
36       Global Climate Change, and refused in the Kyoto negotiations to accept
37       any new commitments for greenhouse gas emission limitations through
38       the Kyoto Protocol; and
39           WHEREAS, Developing countries exempt from emission limitations
40       under the Kyoto Protocol are expected to increase their rates of fossil
41       fuel use over the next two decades, and to surpass the United States and
42       other developed countries in total emissions of greenhouse gases; and
43           WHEREAS, The failure to provide for commitments by developing

SCR 1619

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  1       countries in the Kyoto Protocol creates an unfair competitive imbalance
  2       between developed and developing countries, potentially leading to the
  3       transfer of jobs and industrial development from the United States to
  4       developing countries; and
  5           WHEREAS, Increase emissions of greenhouse gases by developing
  6       countries would offset any environmental benefits associated with emis-
  7       sions reductions achieved by the United States and by other developed
  8       countries: Now, therefore,
  9           Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep-
10       resentatives concurring therein: That the Legislature calls upon the
11       President of the United States not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, nor to
12       submit the same for ratification to the United States Senate, until and
13       unless the protocol is amended or otherwise revised, consistent with
14       United States Senate Resolution No. 98, to include specific scheduled
15       commitments for developing countries to mitigate greenhouse gas emis-
16       sions within the same compliance period or periods as required for de-
17       veloped countries;
18           Be it further resolved: The the Legislature calls upon the United
19       States Senate to reject any proposed protocol or other amendment to the
20       Framework Convention on Global Climate Change that is inconsistent
21       with this Resolution, or that does not comply fully with United States
22       Senate Resolution No. 98; and
23           Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send
24       enrolled copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of
25       the United States, the President of the United States Senate and to each
26       member of the Kansas congressional delegation.
27