Congressional Sign-on Letter to President Bush
MEMO
TO: Activists Interested in Changing the Bush Administration's Pro-Corporate Anti-Environment Position at the Upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
RE: Congressional Sign-on Letter to President Bush
FROM: Antonia Juhasz, International Forum on Globalization
DATE: August 5, 2002
Dear Friends:
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AT THEIR DISTRICT OFFICES TO URGE THEM TO PLEASE SIGN ON TO THIS LETTER!
Below you will find a letter to President Bush, currently signed by 16 Members of Congress (see list above), expressing their concerns regarding his negotiating positions for the upcoming WSSD.
In short, the letter covers the following areas: states dismay the President's intention not to attend the Summit; concern that the Administration has not consulted Congress regarding US negotiating positions in the lead up to the WSSD; concern that the US negotiating positions appear to mark a retreat from key principals that former President Bush agreed to in Rio - in particular - "common but differentiated responsibilities" and the "precautionary principle;" dismay that our negotiators appear unwilling to discuss new commitments; resistance to seriously address the role of corporate responsibility and accountability; and concern that the only initiative that the US negotiators have proposed is voluntary partnerships.
The Congress is currently out of session, therefore, you will want to contact your local District office. Members can sign on to the letter by contacting the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer at (202) 225-4811 and saying that they would like to sign the letter to President Bush regarding the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The letter will be sent to the President on Tuesday, August 13.. Time is running out before the Summit, so we need the signatures as soon as possible. So, Please, Call Your Representative As Soon As Possible and Urge Him/Her to sign on Now!
Please contact me with any questions at 415-561-3490 or ajuhasz@ifg.org.
Thanks and good luck.
Antonia
Aug XX, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We are writing to call your attention to our government's role in a major world summit that is only weeks away. Beginning August 26, heads of state from around the world will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The Summit marks the ten-year anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and presents opportunities for the United States to assume a leadership role in efforts to protect the global environment and promote sustainable development.
Unfortunately, the U.S. appears to be poised to miss many of these opportunities, and our negotiating position has dismayed other countries. First and foremost, we are deeply concerned by reports that you do not plan to attend the Summit and urge you to reconsider. Your absence at the WSSD would likely reinforce the perception held by many countries that the U.S. is selective in its multi-lateral activities and participation in global agreements. Avoiding a global summit that other world leaders consider critical in addressing the link between environmental stewardship and poverty alleviation may hamper our ability to achieve broader international policy goals that are in our national interest. It is clearly in the interest of U.S. national security to help provide relief from widespread poverty, despair, and growing violence. We are pleased that the Administration has indicated that Secretary Colin Powell may attend the Summit and we hope that this will be the case.
We are also very concerned that your Administration has not consulted with Congress concerning the United States' position in the negotiations leading up to the WSSD. We believe that the issues to be addressed in Johannesburg are of the utmost importance to the country and that Congress' input is vital to the process.
We are particularly troubled that the U.S. negotiating position appears to mark a retreat from key principles that former President Bush agreed to in Rio. For example, we understand that the U.S. is backtracking from the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," which says that nations most responsible for an environmental problem should take the lead in addressing it. In addition, we are concerned that the current negotiating position retreats from the "precautionary principle," a cornerstone of environmental policy that demands that nations make cautious choices when facing potentially harmful environmental consequences.
We are dismayed that our negotiators appear unwilling to discuss new commitments. For example, the U.S. has reportedly resisted other countries' attempts to adequately fund the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the institution charged with implementing international agreements, including the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) that Christine Todd Whitman signed last year. The GEF is an effective multilateral tool in helping developing countries meet their own environmental challenges.
Efforts to address seriously the role of corporate responsibility and accountability for achieving sustainable development have also been resisted by the U.S.. Ensuring at the WSSD that corporations worldwide act in an environmentally responsible manner would reinforce your recent statements in support of corporate accountability.
The only initiative that U.S. negotiators have proposed for the WSSD is voluntary partnerships, such as the Summit of Americas Partnership for Pollution Prevention or Sustainable Rural Development and Ecovillage Training Program. Without guidelines or enforcement mechanisms, voluntary partnerships will fail to adequately address environmental problems. Many of us have raised concerns with your Administration's approach to environmental protection, particularly global climate change, and believe that expanding strictly voluntary approaches will not adequately address critical environmental challenges.
At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the U.S. joined other countries in taking steps to address some of the most serious challenges facing our global environment. We hope that your Administration will provide leadership on the tenth anniversary of that summit by maintaining our commitments from Rio, by not shying away from critical new ones, and by acting to ensure that the legacy of Rio's environmental agreements is not compromised. We welcome consultations with Congress concerning these vital issues and look forward to working with your Administration over the coming weeks to ensure that the United States is able to play a leadership role in the critical task of achieving sustainable development.
Sincerely, (original co-signers. For full list of signers, see above)
Earl Blumenauer Edward Markey
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Hilda Solis Barbara Lee
Member of Congress Member of Congress
John Olver George Miller
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Michael Honda Frank Pallone
Member of Congress Member of Congress
