Emerson Joins Bill to Prohibit U.S. Contributions to UN Climate Change Panel

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today joined legislation that would save $13 million by barring taxpayer funds for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"At a time when we ought to be thinking about every way possible to save money for the American taxpayer, I can think of few more wasteful ideas than supporting an international panel on climate change that condones policies expressly targeted at eliminating jobs in Missouri," Emerson said.

H.R. 680 is legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to prohibit funding for the IPCC, which has been widely criticized for fabricating scientific data on climate change. The panel has drawn rebukes from hundreds of scientists representing institutions including NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Defense.

"We ought to hold the publication of scientific data to the highest standard, especially when there is an implied endorsement of the quality of data on climate change by the government. Clearly, the IPCC has credibility issues, yet their reports are the basis of arguments for policies like cap-and-trade and an extreme environmental agenda. I don't feel the U.S. taxpayer should be asked to shoulder this burden in addition to the economic damage their policy recommendations would inflict on us," Emerson said.

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-09) is the sponsor of the bill.