Bush backs global treaty to phase out dioxins

From Kelly Wallace
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As part of the administration's push to highlight its environmental policies in the face of mounting criticism, President Bush announced Thursday the U.S. will sign a global treaty which calls for the eventual elimination of a dozen highly toxic chemicals such as DDT, an administration official told CNN.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman joined the president in the Rose Garden for the announcement Thursday morning.

The treaty, known as the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants, seeks the worldwide phaseout of highly toxic and "persistent" chemicals known as "POPs," such as PCB's, dioxins, DDT and other pesticides. The accord was crafted in December under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Program.

The substances are called "persistent" because they take a prolonged time to break down once they reach the environment, and the cumulative effect can lead to high concentrations and increased risk from exposure.

Not all the chemicals on the list are pesticides. PCB's, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used as a coolant and insulation in electrical transformers and other devices.

The pact, which requires the ratification by 50 countries to take effect, would ban the production and use of nine of the 12 chemicals once it is implemented. Releases of dioxins and other toxic byproducts from waste burning and industrial production would be cut back and eliminated where possible.

Under the treaty, an international fund would be created to help countries develop substitutes for these chemicals. The treaty also allows for additional chemicals to be added to the phase-out list after a thorough scientific review.

The president's announcement is the latest in a series of decisions the White House has highlighted, after a series of the administration's environmental decisions such as not supporting a global warming treaty and not regulating carbon dioxide emissions have come under fire.

Wednesday, the administration announced it would conduct a study to look into the impact of placing limits on arsenic in drinking water.

Since Friday, the White House said it was upholding three of four regulations implemented in the waning days of the Clinton administration, such as requiring more businesses to report the amount of lead they emit into the environment, and protecting wetlands from development.

Senior administration officials told CNN Tuesday they stand by the president's decisions, but at the same time, conceded the White House could have done a better job over the past several weeks, offsetting decisions which environmentalists might criticize with decisions that are viewed as environmentally friendly.

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United States Environmental Protection Agency

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