Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, a confidant to President Trump on energy policy, is advising the White House not to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, but to use the U.S. standing under the accord to bolster its own economic and political interests.
The lawmaker from the oil-rich state of North Dakota sent a letter to Trump Thursday advising him to change the U.S.’s pledge under the agreement instead of pulling out altogether.
The changes would make it acceptable to the administration, while not exposing the U.S. to economic harms posed by the agreement’s emission reductions.
“As you know, President Obama pledged a 26 to 28 percent reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, compared to a 2005 baseline,” Cramer wrote in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. “This target would cause irreparable harm to our economy, particularly our manufacturing and energy sectors, and should be rejected.”
Cramer is recommending that Trump merely remove its list of stated obligations under the Paris Agreement, called an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions pledge, or INDC.
The U.S. should “present a new pledge that does no harm to our economy,” he wrote in the letter. Cramer said the administration should take comment on the new pledge from the private sector before finalizing it, noting that Obama did not seek input from the private sector before finalizing the U.S. pledge last year.
The Paris agreement is non-binding, although countries are expected to adhere to pledges that are required for the deal to take effect. The only legally binding parts of the agreement are emission verification protocols that were agreed to over the last decade.
Cramer recommended that the U.S. not make any additional transfers to the Paris agreement’s Green Climate Fund. Obama transferred $1 billion to the fund, which was started to support small countries’ efforts to adapt to climate change. Cramer wants the U.S. to remain on the fund’s board to veto projects that are uneconomic, since it has a $1 billion stake in the funding of projects. Trump’s budget proposal would zero out funding for the fund.
“Lastly, the U.S. should use its seat at the Paris table to defend and promote our commercial interests, including our manufacturing and fossil fuel sectors,” Cramer said. “Our engagement must prevent the development of harmful policies which undermine economic growth and energy security here and abroad.”
He said the U.S. should work with its allies to develop, deploy and commercialize clean energy technologies “to help ensure a future for fossil fuels within the context of the global climate agenda, including support for the deployment of highly efficient and low emission coal as well as carbon capture, utilization and storage” technologies, which are striving to become commercially available.
Cramer’s letter was sent as reports suggest a vigorous debate has been going on at the White House over whether Trump should pull out from the Paris agreement.
A number of Trump’s advisers, including his elder daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, are opposing the idea of leaving the deal.
