Climate Change Deal: US Should Stay In Paris Accord, Perry Says

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday he thinks the United States should remain in the 2015 Paris climate accord but push to renegotiate the agreement, which covers nearly 200 countries.

At the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York, Perry said it would be better for the country if the U.S. remains at the table, joining a small group of Trump advisers who favor sticking with the agreement despite Donald Trump’s campaign promise to scrap it.

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“I’m not going to tell the president of the United States to walk away from the Paris accord,” Perry said. “I will say that we need to renegotiate it.”

The remarks put Perry at odds with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and White House chief political strategist Steve Bannon but in the same camp as Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, along with a group of 15 state attorneys general who say fighting pollution is a public health matter.

Perry was an advocate for clean energy while he was Texas governor as part of an all-of-the-above strategy.

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“We are going to ensure that renewable energy finds its way to the grid,” said Perry, who also made clear fossil fuels will remain at the center of U.S. energy strategy.

Perry refused, however, to rule out administration interference with state policies that require utilities to get power from renewable sources, saying his main concern is the reliability of the electrical grid.

Perry chided Germany for “cheerleading” the Paris accord while increasing its reliance on coal.

Former President Barack Obama committed the U.S. to a 26-28 percent cut in emissions as part of the Paris climate deal. The Trump administration is de-emphasizing research on clean energy, making attaining that goal that much more difficult.

China, the world’s top emitter of carbon dioxide, along with the U.K., Brazil and other countries, have filed queries with the United Nations, questioning whether the U.S. is doing enough to reduce emissions, Bloomberg reported.

Trump issued an executive order dismantling the Clean Power Plan, which slashed CO2 emissions from power plants and repealed efforts to reduce methane releases from oilfields.

The Paris agreement was signed by 190 countries but is not legally binding and carries no sanctions for countries that fail to live up to their pledges.