Sierra Club: Cramer’s Paris Agreement Letter A ‘Love Note To The Fossil Fuel Industry’

Thursday, April 27,On Thursday, North Dakota Republican Kevin Cramer and eight of his Republican colleagues in the House sent a letter to Trump calling for the U.S.’s commitment to the Paris Agreement be weakened, including a rejection of the current U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), putting forth a new pledge that supports “a future for fossil fuels,” reneging on U.S. commitments to the Green Climate Fund, and promoting the fossil fuel sector.

Thursday’s letter follows on the release of a bipartisan House letter on Wednesday calling on Trump to stay in the Paris Agreement and endorsing the current NDC. Additionally, a recent Yale poll found that nearly 70 percent of Americans support participation in the Paris Agreement. Rep. Cramer received more than $200,000 from the oil and gas industry during the 2016 election.

In response, Sierra Club’s Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt released the following statement:

“This letter is a love note to the fossil fuel industry, and it’s no surprise given Rep. Cramer’s long history of putting corporate polluters before the health of our families. Rep. Cramer’s overtures to Big Oil and Big Coal would be disastrous for everyone else, as any proposal to weaken our commitments to the Paris Agreement will not only break our promises and undermine our ability to lead around the world, but it will further the climate crisis and threaten our communities and environment. The U.S.’s commitments to the Paris Agreement are not a political pawn to be exploited for political gain. While Rep. Cramer may be trying to return the favor to his fossil fuel industry donors, communities, families, and the environment in his district and beyond will be the ones to suffer.”