Newspaper Page Text
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Thursday, November 29, 2018 7A
Trump dismantles US climate
efforts as warnings grow dire
JIM COLE I Associated Press
A plume of steam billows from the coal-fired Merrimack Station, Jan. 20, 2015, in Bow, N.H.
‘All, the purpose of this meeting is to
explore whether, post Paris, we need
to develop, or simply piece together
from what already exists, a policy
proposal that can be characterized as
the “Trump climate policy.’
Michael Catanzaro
Former energy and environment consultant
Pelosi nominated
as House speaker
BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Presi
dent Donald Trump has
moved steadily to disman
tle Obama administration
efforts to rein in coal, oil
and gas emissions, even as
warnings grow — from his
own administration and oth
ers — about the devastating
impact of climate change on
the U.S. economy as well as
the Earth.
Trump has dismissed his
administration’s warnings
about the impact of climate
change, including a forecast
released Friday that it could
lead to economic losses of of
billions of dollars a year by
the end of the century.
“As to whether or not it’s
man-made and whether or
not the effects that you’re
talking about are there, I
don’t see it,” he said in an
interview with The Washing
ton Post.
Trump’s position has been
that efforts to combat emis
sions that cause climate
change hurt the economy.
Announcing the U.S.
withdrawal from the Paris
global climate accord in
June 2017, he said, “The
Paris Climate Accord is
simply the latest example
of Washington entering into
an agreement that disadvan
tages the United States to the
exclusive benefit of other
countries, leaving American
workers — who I love — and
taxpayers to absorb the cost
in terms of lost jobs, lower
wages, shuttered factories,
and vastly diminished eco
nomic production.”
An email obtained by The
Associated Press under the
Freedom of Information Act
shows the administration
withdrew from the Paris
agreement with no clear cli
mate policy in place.
“All, the purpose of
this meeting is to explore
whether, post Paris, we need
to develop, or simply piece
together from what already
exists, a policy proposal that
can be characterized as the
“Trump climate policy,”
Michael Catanzaro, a for
mer oil and gas lobbyist then
serving as Trump’s energy
and environment consultant,
wrote to White House and
Environmental Protection
Agency officials after the
president’s announcement.
The EPA did not respond
to requests for details.
In an email Wednesday,
the State Department noted
that the United States is still
taking part in global climate
talks, despite pulling out of
the Paris accord.
That includes a State
Department delegation to
U.N. climate talks starting
next week in Poland, in fol
low-up to the Paris talks.
“The United States con
tinues to participate in ongo
ing international climate
negotiations—including
those related to guidance
for implementing the Paris
Agreement—to ensure a
level playing field that ben
efits the United States, its
workers, and its taxpayers,”
the department said.
The initial shock of the U.S.
retreat from the Paris accord
galvanized international sup
port for climate efforts, said
Nigel Purvis, who worked in
the Clinton and George W.
Bush administrations.
It “brought other nations
even closer together and
they’re even more commit
ted,” Purvis said. In the lon
ger term, though, the Trump
administration’s retreat on
climate change may hurt,
showing governments and
companies they can flout
global concerns about coal,
oil and gas emissions and not
be held accountable, he said.
At home, the Trump
administration has initiated
a rollback of an Obama-era
effort to power the nation’s
electrical grid with more
renewable energy and less
climate-altering coal.
“We are putting our great
coal miners back to work!”
Trump told a cheering crowd
in West Virginia this sum
mer, touting that rollback.
Many economists challenge
his claim, arguing cheaper
natural gas and other market
forces will mean the contin
ued downward slump of the
U.S. coal industry.
The Obama plan had
aimed at cutting U.S. emis
sions of climate-changing
carbon dioxide about one-
third by 2030.
Separately, the coun
try’s auto industry is adjust
ing to the administration’s
announcement that it would
ease Obama-era mileage
standards.
Auto experts say the
administration’s relaxing
of mileage standards will
deepen American drivers’
devotion to fuel-gulping SUVs
over fuel efficient cars.
In October, almost 65 per
cent of new vehicles sold in
the U.S. were trucks or SUVs.
BY LISA MASCAR0
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -
Nancy Pelosi was nomi
nated by fellow Democrats
to be House speaker on
Wednesday, but she still
faces a vote when the full
House convenes in January.
Pelosi entered the
closed-door caucus election
in an unusual position —
running unopposed despite
the clamor by some Demo
crats for new leadership.
The lopsided 203-32 tally
showed both weakness of
her opposition but also the
challenges ahead.
The California Demo
crat has been deftly picking
off opponents — includ
ing nine who announced
their support as voting was
underway — a trend she’ll
need to accelerate to reach
the 218-vote threshold for
election when Democrats
take control of the chamber
in the new year.
“Are there dissenters?
Yes,” the California Demo
crat told reporters as the
ballots were being counted.
“But I expect to have a pow
erful vote going forward.”
Pelosi was nominated
by Rep. Joe Kennedy of
Massachusetts, with eight
colleagues seconding the
choice, including Rep. John
Lewis of Georgia, the civil
rights leader, and three
newly elected lawmakers.
A sign of the party’s
mood emerged early as the
House Democrats elected
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of
New York as caucus chair
man, elevating him from
the Congressional Black
Caucus as a new generation
of leaders emerges.
His slim victory in that
race, 123-113, over Rep.
Barbara Lee of California,
an influential member of
the Black Caucus, offered
a window into the shifting
landscape. Flanked by top
progressive leaders, Lee
made her pitch during the
closed session, drawing
on the record number of
women entering Congress.
The majority, though,
went to Jeffries who used
his speech to remind Dem
ocrats of their core accom
plishments before pivoting
to his vision for the future.
“I’m focused on standing
up for everyone — white,
black, Latino, Asian, Native
American — every single
American deserves us, here
in the United States Con
gress to work, Democrats
and Republicans, on their
behalf to make their life
better,” he said afterward.
Democrats voted to
return their entire leader
ship team, including Rep.
Steny Hoyer of Maryland
as majority leader and
Rep. Jim Clyburn of South
Carolina in the No. 3 spot as
whip. They ran unopposed.
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