HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 3

(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Martin, Staton, Michael, Mezzatesta, Douglas, Pino, Varner, Manuel, Givens, Kuhn, Collins, Sparks, Linch, Claypole, Amores, Anderson, Azinger, Beach, Beane, Boggs, Border, Buchanan, Butcher, Campbell, Cann, Capito, Caputo, Clements, Coleman, Compton, Dalton, Damron, Davis, Dempsey, Doyle, Ennis, Evans, Everson, Facemyer, Faircloth, Fantasia, Flanigan, Fleischauer, Fragale, Frederick, Gillespie, Given, Hall, Harrison, Heck, Henderson, Hubbard, Hunt, Hutchins, Jenkins, Johnson, Kelley, Kominar, Laird, Leach, Leggett, Linch, Louisos, Mahan, McGraw, Miller, Osborne, Overington, Pettit, Proudfoot, Prunty, Pulliam, Riggs, Rowe, Seacrist, Shelton, Smirl, Smith, Spencer, Stalnaker, Stemple, Thomas, Thompson, Tillis, Tomblin, Trump, Tucker, Underwood, Walters, Warner, Webb, C. White, H. White, L. White, Williams, Willis, Willison, Wright and Yeager)


Requesting the President of the United States to carefully consider all possible economic and social effects of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change (FCCC) and not to sign the Protocol unless it is certain that the provisions of the Protocol will not result in serious negative effects upon the economy of the United States, upon the economies of states economically dependent upon fossil fuel industry and upon the daily financial well being of the American citizen; and urging the Senate of the United States to to, in the event of its deliberation over the Protocol for ratification, to consider the same effects and to reject the Protocol so long as the above mentioned effects are possible.

Whereas, The United States is a signatory to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change; and
Whereas, In December, 1997, the United States participated in negotiations in Kyoto, Japan, resulting in the agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for the United States to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 7 percent from 1990 levels during the period A.D. 2008 to 2012, with potentially larger reductions thereafter; and
Whereas, The United States delegation signed the Protocol on December 10, 1997; and
Whereas, The Kyoto Protocol calls for reductions by other industrial nations from 1990 levels by 6 to 8 percent during the same period; and
Whereas, Developing nations are exempted from greenhouse gas emission limitation requirements of the Framework Convention and refused to accept any new commitments for such limitations during the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol; and
Whereas, The United States relies on carbon-based fossil fuels for more than 90 percent of its total energy supply; and
Whereas, The requirements of the Protocol would bind the United States to more than a 35 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions between 2008 and 2012; and
Whereas, Research has not reached convincing proof that fossil fuel related emissions is in fact creating global climate changes; and
Whereas, Economic impact studies by the United States government estimate that the requirements of the treaty could result in the loss of 900,000 jobs, increased energy prices, losses of output in energy intensive industries such as aluminum, steel, rubber, chemical and utility production and especially the coal industry; and
Whereas, The State of West Virginia, being dependent upon these industries and especially upon the coal industry, would experience these effects severely, including the possible loss of thousands of jobs; and
Whereas, The President of the United States pledged on October 22, 1997, that the United States will not assume binding obligations unless key developing nations meaningfully participate in this effort; and
Whereas, The failure of key developing nations to participate will create unfair competitive imbalances between the Unites States and these developing nations, potentially leading to the transfer of jobs vital to the West Virginia economy to developing nations; and
Whereas, On July 25, 1997, the United States Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 98, expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol or to any other agreement which would require the advice and consent of the Senate to ratify, and which would mandate new commitments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions unless the protocol or agreement mandates commitments and compliance by developing nations; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the President of the United States is requested not to sign the Kyoto Protocol so long as the possibility of all above mentioned negative effects upon the American economy exists; and, be it
Further Resolved, That, in the event that the President signs the Kyoto Protocol, the Senate of the United States is requested to refuse ratification of the Protocol so long as the possibility of said effects exists; and, be it
Further Rresolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates shall, immediately upon its adoption, transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the President Pro Tempore and the Secretary of the United States Senate, and to the United States Senators representing West Virginia.