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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4, APRIL 1999

NEWS...
Feature of the Month: AFL-CIO Energy Statement

Item #d99apr40

On February 17, 1999, the AFL-CIO issued a 2-page Executive Council Statement on U.S. Energy Policy. The two-page document reaffirmed the union’s opposition to the Kyoto Protocol. It expressed the opinion that the treaty “could have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy and American workers” and that “implementation would significantly raise the cost of all forms of energy, affecting workers in manufacturing, transportation, construction and service industries, as well as those involved in energy production and distribution. Economic forecasts have shown that more than one million American jobs are at risk, energy prices could increase significantly, and the United States will have created an additional incentive for American companies to locate offshore.” It also observed that “the licenses to operate many of our nuclear and hydro electric facilities will expire” in the near future, and went on to say that “we must maintain all current generating options, including fossil fuels, nuclear, hydro, and renewables to ensure a stable, reliable and low-cost supply of electricity for the United States.”