Republican Senate leaders yesterday accused the Clinton administration of violating a congressional ban against carrying out the Kyoto climate change treaty by planning a pilot program with Russia to jointly cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said GOP leaders plan to insert language barring the program into a bill funding the EPA. The project would let U.S. businesses start buying greenhouse-gas emission credits from Russian companies that cut their emissions or go out of business. Administration officials said the planned project is voluntary and not meant to coincide with Kyoto goals.
