Senate Resolution 21 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                       BY  BOLKCOM
  1  3 A Resolution urging the United States Congress and the
  1  4    President of the United States to take action on
  1  5    global warming.
  1  6    WHEREAS, the scientific consensus is that
  1  7 increasing emissions of greenhouse gases are causing
  1  8 global temperatures to rise at rates that could cause
  1  9 worldwide economic disruption, environmental damage,
  1 10 and public health crises; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, global warming is largely due to the
  1 12 combustion of fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide
  1 13 and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the
  1 14 atmosphere; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
  1 16 Change and the National Academy of Sciences have
  1 17 reported that atmospheric carbon dioxide is at the
  1 18 highest level in more than 500,000 years; and
  1 19    WHEREAS, average global temperatures were the
  1 20 hottest on record 10 of the past 16 years; and
  1 21    WHEREAS, scientists have predicted that
  1 22 temperatures in Iowa could rise significantly by the
  1 23 end of this century, leading to hotter summers,
  1 24 shorter winters, and increased drought and flood
  1 25 events; and
  1 26    WHEREAS, Iowa is one of the top 25 greenhouse gas
  1 27 emitting states; these effects could strain drinking
  1 28 water supplies, destroy wetlands, erode soil, and harm
  1 29 croplands, ecosystems, and habitats, and have many
  1 30 other damaging effects; and
  2  1    WHEREAS, leading climatologists have estimated that
  2  2 less than a decade remains before global warming could
  2  3 be irreversible and that governments, businesses, and
  2  4 households must act now to reduce greenhouse gas
  2  5 emissions; and
  2  6    WHEREAS, 165 countries and other entities around
  2  7 the world have signed the Kyoto Protocol in
  2  8 recognition of the urgency in acting to reduce
  2  9 greenhouse gas emissions; and
  2 10    WHEREAS, many business leaders, including large
  2 11 manufacturing and insurance companies worldwide, have
  2 12 recognized the need to reduce greenhouse gas
  2 13 emissions; and
  2 14    WHEREAS, the United States government has failed to
  2 15 sign the Kyoto Protocol or to enact policies to reduce
  2 16 national greenhouse gas emissions; and
  2 17    WHEREAS, this lack of federal leadership leaves the
  2 18 United States, the world's largest emitter of
  2 19 greenhouse gases, without an effective national
  2 20 strategy to address the threat of global climate
  2 21 change, that includes rising sea levels, droughts,
  2 22 flooding, severe weather events, the expansion of
  2 23 diseases and invasive species, and economic
  2 24 dislocation; and
  2 25    WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes that states
  2 26 can play an integral role in adopting policies to
  2 27 address climate change and promote strategies to
  2 28 reduce greenhouse gases while advancing technologies
  2 29 to develop clean, renewable, and homegrown energy
  2 30 resources; and
  3  1    WHEREAS, the State of Iowa is a national leader in
  3  2 addressing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas
  3  3 emissions though the production and use of biofuels,
  3  4 purchasing renewable power, encouraging agricultural
  3  5 conservation projects that sequester carbon, and
  3  6 proposing an aggressive energy independence plan that
  3  7 includes strategies to reduce carbon emissions,
  3  8 generate renewable energy, and invest in energy
  3  9 efficiency resources; and
  3 10    WHEREAS, many clean energy and energy efficiency
  3 11 policies that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases can
  3 12 also boost economic development, create jobs,
  3 13 stabilize energy prices, improve air quality, and
  3 14 reduce traffic congestion, among other benefits; NOW
  3 15 THEREFORE,
  3 16    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate urges
  3 17 that members of Congress and President George W. Bush
  3 18 take immediate action to combat global warming by
  3 19 developing a full range of policies and strategies
  3 20 regarding climate change, and developing proposals to
  3 21 reduce nationwidewide greenhouse gas emissions; and
  3 22    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of
  3 23 this Resolution shall be sent to President George W.
  3 24 Bush, to the Congressional delegation of Iowa, and to
  3 25 the United States Congress.
  3 26 LSB 2231SS 82
  3 27 jr:nh/je/5.1