WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush on Monday slammed a bill on combating climate change being debated by the U.S. Senate this week. Here are some comments from Bush and other prominent U.S. politicians on the bill:
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: “Today, the Senate is debating a bill called the Warner-Lieberman bill which would impose roughly $6 trillion of new costs on the American economy. There’s a much better way to address the environment than imposing these costs on the job creators which will ultimately have to be borne by American consumers.
“I urge the Congress to be very careful about running up enormous costs for future generations of Americans. We’ll work with the Congress, but the idea of a huge spending bill fueled by taxes (sic) increases isn’t the right way to proceed.”
SEN. BARBARA BOXER, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT AND CHAIR OF ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: “Just when we finally have a chance to get off of Big Oil and foreign oil, you can count on the Bush administration to fight us every step of the way.
CALIFORNIA’S REPUBLICAN GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: “Last year was one of the warmest on record … Climate change does not pause as Congress deliberates the proper way to address the challenge. I urge you and you and your colleagues in the Senate to work together for passage of a bill that, combined with the leadership of states such as California, can help form a truly national climate change strategy.”
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AND NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: “… We have the first global warming bill in history that is comprehensive, bipartisan and that enjoys support across the country — from labor and agriculture to the business and the environmental communities. Of course the bill needs to be stronger, but it’s vital that Congress begin to act. While it’s important that people change their light bulbs, it’s even more important that we change the laws.”
BILL KOVACS, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “What is currently drafted just isn’t realistic. Among the bill’s many flaws, the business community recognizes that the necessary technologies aren’t currently available to meet the demands of the bill. So while we reduce use of fossil fuels, what energy sources do we use to run the economy until we develop and deploy the new technologies?
TOM COCHRAN, U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS: “This is a critical time for our nation as we continue to seek solutions for our growing energy crisis and to confront fully the growing global climate change challenge. This new initiative will not only help transform America’s cities, but is a critical part of any successful national effort to reduce carbon emissions.”
Mon Jun 2, 2008 3:54pm EDT
Source: Reuters