Q26.2 If the Administration had counted on reductions in emissions from electricity restructuring, and if on the other hand, ELA is right that state restructuring efforts will result in higher levels of emissions, then how will this affect your calculus of how the United States will meet emission reduction targets? A26.2 See answer 26.1 above. Q26.3 When is the Administration releasing its electricity restructuring proposal? A26.3 On March 24, the Administration released a proposal for electricity restructuring that includes a 5.5 percent renewable energy portfolio requirement and a one-tenth of one percent kilowatt hour surcharge to fund a $3 billion research fund for environmental improvements. Compliance and Enforcement Q27. The Kyoto Protocol is very vague with respect to compliance and enforcement. Q27.1 Is the November 1998 meeting in Buenos Aires going to address these issues” A27.1 The agenda for the meeting in Buenos Aires will depend in large part on what progress is made at the working group meetings in June. The agendas for these meetings are only now being developed. We would anticipate that compliance issues will be discussed at both the working group meeting in June and the Conference of the Parties in November. Q27.2 What is Administration's position on what those guidelines should be? A27.2 Please see answer 27.3 below. Q27.3 How does the Administration propose to enforce any such compliance guidelines in the United States, ad how can verification and enforcement in other countries be achieved? A27.3 The Convention already has a mechanism for reporting and review of national inventories and plans by independent experts. This mechanism has been in operation for several years and has proven successful in ensuring a transparent and objective means of determining a country's actions under the Convention. Monitoring and review under the protocol will build on this on-going process. The United States has proposed a number of enforcement mechanisms including losing the ability to sell reductions as part of emissions trading if not in compliance or requiring that any shortfall in one budget period be made in the next period. These and other proposals will be the basis for future discussions concerning compliance Greenhouse Gas “Sinks” Q28. It seems unclear in the Kyoto agreement what will qualify as a greenhouse gas sink what kinds of forests, forest projects, land use changes or management, etc. Q28.1 Please explain the U.S. position on what could constitute a sink, and how they should be counted in assessing our reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions. A28.1 Vegetation, plant fiber and soils have the capacity to hold (i.e. “sink”) carbon and nitrogen compounds in ways that reduce volatilization of CO2 and N2O to the atmosphere over time. Potential US sinks include public and private forests, grasslands, other native plant communities, and agricultural systems. The individual capacity of each system to sequester CO2 and N2O varies by time, site, species, land-treatment options, and climate. We believe the scoring and inventory of these systems for sequestration should be based on scientifically valid sampling and assessment procedures. The U.S. expects that at least three percent of its commitment to reduce emissions by seven percent below 1990 levels will come from changing the baseline for sinks. Further clarification of article 3.3 definitions (scheduled for discussion in Argentina) and inclusion of additional categories under article 3.4 (such as agricultural soils) have the potential to increase this level of credit for US sinks. Q28.2 What proportion of U.S. emissions could be offset by these sinks? A28.2 The proportion of U.S. emissions that could be offset by sinks will depend upon the reductions required in the U.S. in the first budget period, as well as the definitions and additional categories still to be defined. Roles of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEO) and the Chair of CEO in the Development of the Administration's Climate Change Policy and in the Kyoto Protocol Negotiations Q29. Please describe the roles played by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Chair of CEQ in developing: Q29.1 The statement of the Administration's climate change policies in the A29.1 CEQ worked closely with a number of White House offices (the National Administration climate policy throughout the period from before the President's speech through the final decisions in Kyoto. The Chair of CEQ is co-chair of the White House Deputies' Climate Change Committee along with the Chair of the National Economic Council and played a senior policy role throughout this process. Q29.2 The Administration's policy approach to, and strategies concerning, the international climate-change negotiations during the period between the President's October speech and the first day of the Kyoto Conference (December 1, 1997); and A29.2 Please see answer 29.1 above. Q29.3 The Administration's policy approach to, and the strategies concerning, the international climate-change negotiations in Kyoto. A29.3 Please see answer 29.1. White House Task Force on Climate Change Q30. When was the White House Task Force on Climate Change established and what its purpose? A30. The White House Climate Change Task Force was created February 18, 1997 as an interagency task force to coordinate executive agency outreach on U.S. climate change policy. The charter is attached. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY A. IDENTIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT FUND PROJECT Title: White House Climate Change Task Force Task: To coordinate and expand activities among agencies aimed at informing the B. PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY The authority for this project is derived from Section 102(2)(F) of the National Environmental Policy Act; Section 206 of the Environmental Quality Improvement Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 4375; section 602 of the Economy Act, as amended, 31 U.S.C. Sec. 1535; and the authorizing legislation of the Office of Environmental Quality and the agencies involved. The Task Force was created by the Co-Chairs of the Deputies' Climate Change Committee. The task force will: Coordinate interagency activities related to climate change outreach and communications activities; Coordinate interagency activities related to the development of outreach and Coordinate interagency activities to work with and to inform Congress about issues Coordinate outreach activities among agencies to key affected groups including the Participate in development of policies (at Deputies and Assistant Secretaries levels) and in international negotiations in order to ensure effective coordination with outreach activities; Periodically report to the Deputies about its activities. C. FINANCIAL PLAN The Project anticipates an expenditure of $200,000 with funding provided by participating agencies including the Department of Energy, the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, and the Department of Commerce and others. D. PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS The Office of Environmental Quality will be the co-chair of the task force along with the National Economic Council. Other White House offices that will participate include the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the office of Management and Budget, and the Council of Economic Advisors. Other agencies participating in Task Force activities will include: the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. Other interagency processes that will contribute to the Task Force include the Global Change Research Program and the President's Commission on Sustainable Development, as appropriate. E. RELATION TO CEQ/OEO STATUTORY AUTHORITY The Council on Environmental Quality was established by Title II of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. The primary role of CEQ is to implement the policy goals set forth in NEPA. One of CEQ's key roles is to coordinate interagency activities related to policy development and implementation. In addition, Section 102(2)(F) provides that federal agencies shall recognize the worldwide and long-range character of environmental problems and, where consistent with foreign policy of the United States, lend appropriate support to initiatives, resolutions, and programs designed to maximize international cooperation in anticipating and preventing a decline in the quality of mankind's world environment. This particular project will assist in furthering CEQ's role in coordinating such a policy. F. STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS Chief Project Officer: David Sandalow, Associate Director for Global Environment, CEQ (202) 456-6543 Administrative Contact: Carolyn Mosley, Administrative Officer, CEQ, (202) 395-5754. G. DUTIES The duties of the task force are advisory in nature. |