Markey Welcomes Bali Roadmap As Small Step Forward, Giant Strides Still Needed. Hearing set for Wednesday
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Contact:Select Committee, 202-225-4081 or 202-225-2836/202-812-8193 cell
Markey Welcomes Bali Roadmap As Small Step Forward, Giant Strides Still Needed
Announces Hearings to Review Bali Climate Pact Next Wednesday
WASHINGTON (December 15, 2007) - Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, issued the following statement today in reaction to the agreement on a roadmap for negotiating climate change policy reached at the international conference in Bali, Indonesia:“At long last, the warnings from the world’s leading scientists are no longer being totally ignored by the Bush administration. When every other world leader is calling for action, not even this administration can refuse to listen. As a result, we have a a modest but important roadmap emerging from the Bali conference that will allow the world to work towards specific verifiable binding targets on the emissions of global warming pollution.
“Important as it is, this agreement marks the beginning of tough negotiations ahead. The Bush administration still managed to force any mention of the specific limits needed to head off climate catastrophe into a footnote in the Bali agreement. Not since Emperor Nero tried footnoting firefighting through more fervent fiddling, have we seen such a transparently vain effort to avoid the inevitable. When it comes to meeting the challenge of climate change, the Bush administration still appears willing to operate on the basis of denial and obfuscation, not science and logic.
“The Select Committee will hold a hearing this coming Wednesday morning to review the content of the Bali agreement and the continuing reluctance of the Untied States to take the leadership role that it must if we are to protect the planet for all humankind.”
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The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to increase the visibility and priority given to America's oil dependence and global warming challenges. It is chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and will actively explore the solutions, science and progress on these pressing issues during the 110th Congress.
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