The U.S. signature on the Paris climate change agreement will be no more than an empty promise, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Tuesday on the Senate floor. “It is important for the 196 countries involved in the Paris climate agreement to understand what I am saying today – Congress, the courts, climate experts, industry are all pointing to the same conclusion – President Obama’s climate pledge is unobtainable and it stands no chance of succeeding in the United States. For the sake of the economic well-being of America, that’s a good thing,” Inhofe said.
The administration has pledged to sign the agreement April 22 during the official signing ceremony in New York.
Inhofe, a vocal opponent of the administration’s climate change agenda, said he believes the target the U.S. has set for itself in the agreement, cutting emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, is unattainable. At the core of the administration’s pledge is the Clean Power Plan, carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants. Inhofe noted that the CPP faces a massive legal challenge likely to end up in the Supreme Court. In fact, the high court has already suspended the rule, halting implementation pending legal review. “Without the central component of his international climate agenda, achieving the promises he made in Paris are mere pipe dreams,” Inhofe said.
