A sampling of news releases, Twitter statements and sound bites in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords.
Stronger Economy
Sen. Ted Cruz (R.-Texas) on Trump’s decision: the U.S. is better off.
Angry Anglers
Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited, said he and the group’s 300,000 members are “deeply disappointed that President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Accord.”
“Trout anglers know better than anyone the impacts of climate change and rising atmospheric temperatures. We have all witnessed these changes: earlier runoff, lower stream flows in summer, altered migration timing, and water too warm for trout.”
Regulating Our Own
Baker Botts environmental partner Megan Berge notes that “in many ways, whether or not the U.S. remains a party to the agreement does not significantly impact U.S. regulation of carbon emissions. The U.S. will still need to decide on its own approach to controlling domestic greenhouse-gas [GHG] emissions, whether through traditional command and control structures or through programs that properly incentivize GHG reductions.”
Legal Opinion
E&E Legal senior policy fellow Steve Milloy said the president’s decision means abandoning a “disastrous Paris Treaty that would have destroyed American jobs and led to skyrocketing energy prices, putting those most vulnerable at risk. Europe is the model for these failed ‘climate policies,’ and President Trump is correct in not allowing the United States to go down the same path."
Future Power
Former Vice President Joe Biden warned of a threatened future for clean energy.
Six Million Jobs Saved
Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.) said the president did the right thing in stepping away from Paris.
The Mayors’ Take
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) said it strongly opposed Trump’s withdrawal from the accord and has vowed that the nation’s mayors will continue their commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to alleviate the impacts of global warming.
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a strong proponent of the need to address climate change and we support the Paris agreement, which positions the world’s nations, including the United States, to be energy independent, self-reliant, and resilient,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, chair of USCM’s environment committee.
Kept Promise
North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said Trump followed through on his campaign promise.
Musk Goes
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, made good on promises to resign from the president’s economic advisory board and Trump’s manufacturing jobs initiative.
Darren Barbee can be reached at dbarbee@hartenergy.com.
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