H-5121.1          _______________________________________________

                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4043

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Representatives Nelson, Rust, Horn, Brekke, Valle, Fraser, Wang, Anderson, Wineberry, G. Cole and Jacobsen

Read first time .  Referred to Committee on .Requesting the President to participate in the Earth Summit.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

     WHEREAS, Public concern about protecting the global environment continues to grow as evidence mounts of the long-term damage being done to the Earth by global climate change, toxic waste, freshwater and ocean pollution, and loss of biological diversity; and

     WHEREAS, Environmental problems are inextricably linked with economic and trade policies; and

     WHEREAS, States have many critical responsibilities with respect to supporting responsible economic development as well as for environmental protection and natural resource management including land-use planning, transportation, solid and hazardous waste management, and procurement policies; and

     WHEREAS, The Washington state legislature has enacted numerous measures to protect the environment and promote economic development in areas such as toxic waste management, recycling, nuclear waste cleanup, growth management, agricultural lands preservation, pesticide application, air quality, solid waste management, and oil spill prevention; and

     WHEREAS, The Washington state legislature has also supported national initiatives which enable states to develop and implement successful economic development and environmental protection programs; and

     WHEREAS, The Washington state legislature recognizes that problems such as global climate change, diminishing biological diversity, and ocean pollution can only be solved with cooperation at all levels of government from the local to the international; and

     WHEREAS, In June of 1992, the world's leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, otherwise known as the Earth Summit) to define new and bold steps to achieve solutions to the planet's environmental and economic development problems; and

     WHEREAS, The Earth Summit will pay special attention to concerns regarding global climate change, toxic waste, diminishing biological diversity, and ocean and freshwater resources;

     BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state legislature endorses the goals and objectives of the Earth Summit particularly with respect to the creation and adoption of global agreements which will result in policies and mechanisms to protect the global environment and enhance the ability of nations to equitably develop their natural and human resources.

     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the President of the United States join his counterparts from around the world at the Earth Summit, and instruct United States negotiators to work with other national delegations in crafting an international protocol on global climate change that would reduce this nation's emissions of CO₂ by twenty percent by the year 2000, and thus reestablish the United States' role as a leader in managing the planet's resources for present and future generations.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.