I am deeply disappointed in what the Administration has proposed as an alternative to the Kyoto agreement. Instead of accepting an accord endorsed by over 170 nations, President Bush has put forward a plan that falls far short of the needs of both America and the world. He has tried this type of approach before --- in Texas --- and it failed. I am also particularly troubled by his plan from a national security perspective. It is now more than abundantly clear that our country is dangerously dependent on oil. A strong policy on climate change would lessen that dangerous dependence and move us to a clean and safe energy future. By contrast, this policy, like the Administration plans to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, keep us tied to the dangerous global oil politics that pose a grave threat to our national well-being. The United States can and should lead the world to a clean technology future. Unfortunately this plan abdicates the responsibility instead of accepting it.

A strong plan of action on climate change would stimulate the development of new transportation, power and manufacturing technologies and enable American companies to lead the world in capturing markets for those technologies. A weak policy like the one announced today, without binding requirements for greenhouse gas pollution reductions, makes it vastly harder for American companies to compete. And that's part of the reason why many businessleaders have joined environmentalists in calling for the certainty and clarity that binding targets would provide.

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