Failure to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement would hurt American industry and upset President Trump’s economic goals, an industry group argued in a letter and detailed analysis sent to the White House.
The Industrial Energy Consumers of America, representing large manufacturing companies on energy policy issues, sent the analysis to the White House late Monday.
“All costs of reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions, whether imposed on the electric generation sector or the oil and gas sectors, are eventually imposed upon us, the consumer,” the letter read.
“We are the ones who eventually bear the costs of government-imposed [greenhouse gas emissions] reduction schemes,” it added. “At the same time, we are often already economically disadvantaged, as compared to global competitors who are subsidized or protected by their governments.”
The group argued that remaining a part of the 2015 Paris Agreement would harm Trump’s economic goals of spurring manufacturing and jobs.
“Given the above concerns,” the group “fails to see the benefit of the Paris Climate Accord,” the letter read. In addition, “the long-term implications of the Paris Climate Accord, which includes greater future [greenhouse emission] reduction requirements, raises serious competitiveness and job implications for [energy-intensive] industries.”
The analysis came as the White House is seeking to reschedule a meeting of Trump’s top advisers to reach a consensus on whether to leave the global non-binding deal. The meeting was postponed last week, but the White House has said it will make a decision on the Paris Agreement by the end of May. A number of the president’s top advisers do not want to leave the deal, including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Other officials, such as Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, want to leave the agreement.
Other groups, including one that included large coal producers such as Peabody Energy, have sent letters urging Trump to stay in the Paris deal. They argue that it would help the U.S. promote advanced carbon capture technology to spur clean coal development globally. Trump said he wants to build clean coal power plants.
The manufacturing group wants Trump to hold off from approving the export of large amounts of natural gas, warning the administration in a separate letter that the implications could be disastrous by driving up cost for manufacturers.
Paul Cicio, the group’s CEO, said in a recent letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry that sending more natural gas abroad would reduce U.S. supply and raise the price for natural gas. That would most harm the chemical industry, which relies on natural gas as a key feedstock for making everything from perfume to plastics.
