December 6, 2005 INHOFE COMMENTS ON LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT FROM SENATORS PRESSING FOR STRONGER ACTION AT MONTREAL COP/MOP Support for Caps Unlikely, Calls Attention to Past Vote Against Mandatory Controls Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today released the following statement in the wake of comments made in a letter to President Bush from 24 Senators urging stronger action by the U.S. Delegation at this week's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Canada: "With respect to those few of my colleagues who signed the letter to President Bush urging stronger action at this week's COP/MOP in Montreal, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. Congress will ever enact mandatory controls on carbon dioxide emissions when the overwhelming majority of the Senate, by a 60-38 vote, rejected such controls out of concern about negative impacts on the American economy. "The Sense of the Senate, as I said the day it was introduced as an amendment to the Energy Bill, did not accomplish anything other than offer cover. It was even stripped from the final version of the bill. More importantly, when it came time to put its money where its mouth is on implementing actual emissions caps, the Senate rightfully refused to do so. "I urge our Administration representatives in Montreal to keep the Congress' rejection of emissions caps, which were even less stringent than the Kyoto Protocol's scheme, in mind as they participate in this week's post-Kyoto proceedings."