Remarks to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

My sincere thanks for scheduling today's hearing. As a result of the tragic events of September 11^th, I know that this Committee and its members are extremely busy with pressing issues challenging our nation and the international community.

Mr. Chairman, I am deeply honored to appear before you as the President's nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. I am humbled by the confidence placed in me by President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and Secretary Powell with this challenging assignment on behalf of the United States. I would also like to express my hearty thanks to Senators Enzi and Thomas, colleagues with whom I had the pleasure of working in the Wyoming State Legislature, for their friendship and support at today's hearing.

It is with considerable pleasure that I introduce to the Committee my best friend and supporter through 3 plus decades of public service -- my extraordinary wife, Mary Kay, who is a high school teacher in Northern Virginia. In addition, I am joined by my two outstanding sons, Mark and John "Tote" Turner. Our third child, Kathryn, is a cowgirl artist and resides on our ranch in Wyoming.

Mr. Chairman, if confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State, I look forward to working with the Administration, the Congress and other important domestic and international partners in advancing our nation's agenda of being good stewards of the environment and enhancing the U. S. economy, providing job opportunities for all Americans. Working with the excellent professionals at the Bureau, we will strive to continue and enhance America's leadership in such important areas as HIV/AIDS, oceans and fisheries, hazardous chemicals, sustainable development, tropical forestry, climate change and the space arena. We will work to advance important principles of President Bush, which include:

1. Decision making based on sound science;
2. Promoting approaches which are compatible with a viable U. S. economy;
3. Encouraging public/private partnerships;
4. Promoting the use of the best technology available; and
5. Insuring that approaches will have lasting and positive impacts on the stewardship of natural resources.

In the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, the United States supports an integrated approach that addresses education, prevention, research and treatment. Toward that end, we will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to engage the diplomatic community and to foster public-private partnerships to stem the tide of this pandemic. Our contribution of $200 million to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis reflects the commitment of President Bush and Secretary Powell to strong, effective, multilateral action now.

On oceans, the United States has a broad range of interests, given its size, boundaries, and preeminent role in the international community. Freedom of the seas and control of areas under U.S. jurisdiction will underpin our decision-making processes. They are essential conditions to protecting our military power. In the case of our marine resources, we must do more internationally to address the problems wrought by overfishing and destruction of our marine environment. Creative and innovative approaches to reverse dwindling fish stocks will be a major focus.

International environmental issues are an integral part of the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. As the President stated in his Earth Day remarks, "...our prosperity as a Nation will mean little if our legacy to future generations is a world of polluted air, toxic waste and vanished forest."

On hazardous chemicals, in particular, President Bush in a Rose Garden event in April announced the intention of the United States to sign the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and to pursue prompt ratification. The United States signed the agreement in Stockholm in May and intends to submit the treaty and implementing legislation to the Congress soon. POPs chemicals, even when released abroad, can harm human health and the environment in the United States. Alaskan Natives have been especially vulnerable to their adverse effects, and we must work with the international community to reverse this situation.

Regarding sustainable development, the United States is working hard to achieve consensus on an affirmative agenda for consideration at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) next year that is forward-looking, practical and focused on ways all nations can advance economic growth, social development and environmental protection.

Turning to transboundary water management, we will be working with our key allies to promote sound water management principles in river basins around the world. With millions dying from water-related disease, drought and floods, poor practices are a major impediment to growth and stability.

In the case of forests, we intend to promote conservation of tropical forests and sustainable forest management practices that foster market-oriented approaches to help raise the standard of living in developing countries. We will also focus on combatting illegal logging and related illegal trade, actions that are destroying valuable forests around the world and under-pricing legitimate products entering the world timber market.

With its potential to impact every single country, no environmental challenge is more difficult to address than climate change. We will work with Administration officials and stakeholders within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to ensure U.S. domestic energy policy and our international efforts to address climate change are mutually reinforcing.

I fully support the President's climate change policies. I also understand that Members of this Committee and other Members of Congress have strong views on global climate change. If confirmed, I intend to work with you to forge a bipartisan consensus that garners the support of the American people and the international community.

With respect to science and technology, a rigorous science-based approach is fundamental to promoting economic growth and trade, supporting national security, and managing risks, especially in areas such as health and the environment. We will continue to work closely with Secretary Powell's Science and Technology Advisor, the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House, and the scientific community to ensure that sound science and technology underpin U.S. foreign policy. In the space arena, we want to ensure a transparent and predictable international political and legal regime that preserves the right of access to outer space and fosters greater space commercialization.

I am hoping that my background gives me a positive foundation for the work and issues which confront the Bureau at the Department. As the Committee is aware, this experience includes being a third generation Wyoming rancher, serving nearly two decades in the Wyoming Legislature, having the honor to be Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Department of Interior for 4 years, and then having the opportunity to head-up a very effective land and water conservation nonprofit for the past 8 years. My previous international involvement with natural resources issues include such activities as:

1. Heading the U. S. Delegation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Kyoto, Japan;
2. Being the first U.S. representative to chair a meeting of the parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands;
3. Initiating the gathering of scientists and resource managers of nations sharing the Arctic Ocean;
4. Hosting an exchange of fish and wildlife scientists with Russia;
5. Hosting the first neo-tropical bird gathering involving the large, land-based nations of Russia, China, Mexico, India and the United States; and
6. Promoting bilateral programs with Mexico involving endangered species, wetlands, law enforcement, and migratory birds.

Mr. Chairman, in reflecting back on the events of September 11^th, it seems that each of us reached inward for the basics -- to reaffirm that which grounds us and reminds us of our humanity. In horror's wake, it seems that we are reminded of our tremendous blessings as a nation. Hopefully, in doing so we recommit ourselves to nurturing our families, friends, and communities, to embrace and safeguard the values which define us as a people and as a nation. Certainly among these blessings uniquely American are our abundant natural resources -- irreplaceable landscapes, clean water, healthy air, abundant wildlife complexes, and unsurpassed outdoor recreational opportunities. If confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State, I look forward to working with this Committee and many other public and private partners across the country to insure we are responsible stewards of our natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations, and to help our neighbors around the globe protect and enhance their natural resources.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. I would be happy to answer any questions.