US environmental policy

The front-page article "President Pushes Green Agenda," April 23, concerning United States environmental policy, misrepresents the position of Secretary of Energy Hazel R. O'Leary on the global warming initiative announced by President Clinton in his Earth Day speech.

Secretary O'Leary strongly supports the global warming initiative and the Department of Energy was a full partner in providing the technical analysis to support Mr. Clinton's commitment to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000. O'Leary wholeheartedly supports Vice President Gore's greenhouse gas policies. She is also concerned about the economic aspects achieving emission objectives through low-cost economically efficient strategies like joint implementation.

As a former executive of a large utility company, Northern States Power, O'Leary was a leading supporter of the emissions trading approach to acid rains, and she was an early supporter of legislation that eventually made its way into the Energy Policy Act, establishing a domestic version of joint implementation. Mike Gauldin, Washington Director of Public Affairs Department of Energy

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