President Trump Delays Paris Climate Agreement Decision

Donald Trump

It is being reported that President Donald Trump is delaying a decision on withdrawing from the landmark Paris climate accord until after the conclusion of a key international meeting.

“Trump had originally aimed to announce his intentions before traveling to the summit, held in Sicily at the end of this month. Instead, he will wait until after the G7 to make a decision, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer.I think it’s simply a sign that the President wants to continue to meet with his team,” Spicer told reporters at the White House.Spicer said Trump has been meeting with his team “extensively” to discuss the issue, which has divided his top advisers as they weigh the ramifications of withdrawing from the carbon reduction agreement….A meeting scheduled for Tuesday between top Trump advisers was postponed, according to a White House official. The official said the delay came amid scheduling conflicts.

The factions that have Trump’s ear in this matter seem to have very different ideas on how to proceed.

Steve Bannon, Trump’s top strategist, favors withdrawal, as does Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator, who has called it a “bad business deal for this country”. Rick Perry, the energy secretary, said last month “we probably need to renegotiate” the agreement.Meanwhile, Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, and Trump’s family members and advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, are understood to favor remaining in the deal. Ivanka Trump is set to meet separately with Pruitt on Tuesday to discuss the Paris pact and according to the Associated Press has been handed the task of reviewing US climate policy.

I suspect the key to understanding this decision can be found in “The Art of the Deal”. The G7 Meeting is slated for May 26-27 at Taormina in Sicily. Trump has already refused to sign a joint statement ahead of the meeting endorsing the Obama-led agreement.

The U.S. refused to sign onto a statement with other G7 countries to commit to the implementation of the Paris climate agreement, which President Donald Trump promised to withdraw from on the campaign trail.Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said the U.S. “is in the process of reviewing many of its policies and reserves its position on this issue, which will be communicated at a future date,” Italy’s industry and energy minister Carlo Calenda said in a statement.

The President might like to have all his negotiating options open when he arrives for this important summit as America’s leader. Therefore, nobody is quite sure of the #ClimExit status at this point.

I would like to see the agreement jettisoned, based on the fact it is a climate alarmist fantasy blended with anti-capitalist wealth redistribution schemes. However, I am thrilled that our regulating agencies have substantially fewer eco-activists in their ranks today than they did a week ago. I do not think the key implementors of American environmental and interior policies will readily embrace the climate change inanity of their predecessors.

Will Trump #Climexit, or won’t he? I still feel that ultimately the Paris Climate Agreement, one of Obama’s most significant legacy projects, will either be terminated quickly or allowed to wither away on the vine. It will be ended at some point by President Trump. I suspect the ultimate timing will depend on the deal.

Tags: France, Trump Climate Policy

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