Saying President Biden’s move to rejoin the Paris Climate accord will kill American jobs and is a liberal climate agenda, Oklahoma Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford joined two other Republican Senators in introducing a bill to prevent new greenhouse gas emission rules.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith joined them in introducing the Domestic Manufacturing Protection Act. Their legislation would prevent the EPA from issuing any new greenhouse gas emission rules or regulations until China, India and Russia adhere to the same emission reduction targets of the Paris Agreement as required by the U.S.
“The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement allowed the world’s biggest polluters a free pass while sacrificing American manufacturing jobs,” Inhofe said. “That’s why I urged President Trump to pull out of the bad deal. Now, the Biden administration plans to not only recommit, but build upon this failed agreement.”
He explained the measure will hold China, India and Russia to the same standard as the US.
“China and Russia are our greatest threats in national security and in economic competition. If we don’t want China to ‘eat our lunch’ as President Biden said, then we need to challenge them at every turn,” added Inhofe who said the U.S. cannot risk a one-sided climate restriction that would give China a leg up on economic growth and trade.
“We should not crush American industry and raise our consumer prices trying to cancel out other nations’ emissions,” said Sen. Lankford. “We should encourage manufacturing and mining here because we do it far cleaner than Russia or China. Let American industries thrive while we protect God’s creation together.”
“President Biden’s plan to recommit to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement will kill American manufacturing and jobs all while China, India, and Russia continue being the world’s biggest polluters,” Tillis said. “They must be held to the same standards that the United States is forced to adhere to.”
“China, Russia, and India are among the world’s biggest polluters, yet the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement refuses to take any real actions to hold them accountable. Meanwhile, jobs in Mississippi and across the nation will be sacrificed,” Hyde-Smith said. “I’m pleased to join my colleagues in an effort to protect jobs here at home, to promote domestic energy reliance, and to ensure these mega-polluters are held to the same standards as the United States.”
The Domestic Manufacturing Protection Act holds China, India and Russia to the same standard as the U.S.–ensuring American manufacturing and jobs are not sacrificed while the world’s biggest polluters get a free pass.
Background:
· The 2015 Paris Agreement allowed China to peak its emissions by 2030 and maintain its pollution status quo for 15 years. China remains the world’s biggest polluter of CO2 emissions.
· Russia proposed reducing its emissions by 25 to 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 but it’s woefully “inadequate” in meeting its commitment. Further, UN data shows Russia has failed to lower its CO2 emissions.
· India agreed to reduce emissions by 33 to 35 percent by 2030, but UN data shows that in the last ten years their CO2 emissions have increased by 37%. According to the Washington Post, “India’s emissions are set to rise in the years ahead as economic growth propels demand for energy.”
· The U.S. pledged to aggressively reduce GHG emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Studies have found that by 2035, compliance with the Paris Agreement would annually destroy an average of 400 thousand American jobs, half of which would be in manufacturing.
