THE THE WHITE WHITE HOUSE HOUSE WASHINGTON WASH INGTON June June 15 15 1998 1998 MEMORANDUM MEMORANDUM FOR FOR THE THE PRESIDENT PRESIDENT FROM FROM TODD S TE STERN SUBJECT SUBJECT Climate Change Weekly Report Diplomatic Diplomatic Bonn Mid-level climate negotiators in Bonn concluded two weeks of difficult discussions on related to post-Kyoto follow-up The next high-level meetings are in November in Buenos Aires Beneath the surface of these technical talks there were troubling signs regarding prospects for progress NYTstory attached The The European European progress at at Buenos Buenos Aires Aires and and beyond beyond See See yesterday's yesterday’s NYT story attached Union Union continued continued to to insist insist on on restricting restricting international international emissions emissions trading and and had aa good deal deal of developing country support Several leading U S environmental groups purchased a full-page developing country support Several leading U S environmental groups purchased a full-page ad ad in the New New York York Times Times attacking trading as a loophole though on the other hand the Environmental proponents of of unrestricted unrestricted trading trading Environmental Defense Defense Fund Fund is is one one of of the the leading leading proponents Several key developing countries used the Bonn talks to stress their unwillingness to take on any targets under the climate treaty China India and Brazil worked to block efforts to shape a mechanism for developing countries to voluntarily assume binding commitments under the treaty The Mexicans urged their Korean counterparts to resist U S pressure for a Korean target Your discussions with Presidents Kim and Zedillo however should help to pave the way for progress on these issues with Korea and Mexico We are planning visits to these countries this summer by our energy environment and economics experts following up on your talks Binational Commission Meeting Climate change discussions figured prominently at the 1998 U S -Mexico Binational Commission Meeting held on June 10-11 in Washington and we agreed with Mexico's Mexico’s Environment Ministry to set up a process for continued cooperation and discussion on climate change Congressional Your Climate Change Technology Initiative has faced rough sledding so far In markup of the VA-HUD appropriations bill the Senate Appropriations Committee cut our requested $115 million increase for EPA' million The Committee Report EPA’ss climate change portfolio by $91 nullion states that none of the funds provided to EPA are to be used to support activities related to “none implementation of the Kyoto protocol prior to its ratification ” ratification Senator Boxer D-CA pointed out that this language is meaningless because none ofEPA's of EPA’s programs have been or are intended to implement the treaty In the House the Energy and Water Subcommittee followed its Senate counterpart by eliminating our total requested increase about $100 million for the solar and renewable renewable energy energy portfolio portfolio Congressman Fazio D-CA worked to retain at least level funding of the renewable portfolio and helped stave off a potential amendment by Rep Knollenberg R-MI R-MI to to prohibit prohibit funding funding for any program that contemplated implementation of the Kyoto Protocol before Senate ratification Meanwhile with the Energy and Water bill coming to the Senate floor soon soon Sen Jeffords is working on his floor amendment and looking for offsets to add back the renewable money Communications Communications The The Vice Vice President's President’s El El Nino event last Monday was widely covered He announced record temperatures this year temperatures this year and global warming's warming’s potential effect on El Nino The story ran on the page one of the New York Times Monday led the CBS and NBC evening news broadcasts and ran in in the the Washington Washington Post Post and and significant regional papers on Tuesday On Monday the Wall Street Journal ran a letter we worked on with DOD Assistant Secretary Sherri Goodman's Goodman’s responding to an inaccurate op-ed by former Sec of Defense Frank Carlucci regarding Kyoto's Kyoto’s impact on military readiness On Monday Roll Call ran an interview with Rep Dingell attacking the Kyoto Protocol as the “the most asinine treaty I've ever seen I’ve seen ” cc cc Vice President Vice President Erskine Bowles John Podesta Ron Klain Katie McGinty Gene Sperling Jim Steinberg Janet Yellen