US reiterates climate commitment

2010-09-03 17:01

Geneva - The United States reiterated on Friday that it was committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 even though the Senate has failed to pass legislation.

"I am in no sense writing off legislation over time. And I'm quite sure the president isn't," US climate envoy Todd Stern told a news conference during two days of talks in Geneva among about 45 nations reviewing climate finance.

He said Washington would rely on a combination of regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and future legislation to meet President Barack Obama's goal of a 17% cut in emissions from 2005 levels by 2020.

"The EPA will be a piece, an important piece, of the total equation," he said.

"It's a combination of EPA and other legislative efforts," he said. Stern told Reuters last month the United States was committed to the 2020 goal, which works out as a cut in emissions of about 3% from 1990 levels.

Of the possibility of Senate legislation before November elections, he said: "You can never say never, but I would not say it's likely at the moment."

- Reuters