With President Barack Obama in France this week as the Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets, a Republican congressman from Florida offered a resolution ensuring congressional approval is needed on any agreement.
Obama held a media event on Tuesday in France, promoting an “enduring framework for progress that gives the world confidence in a low-carbon future." Looking to reduce carbon emissions, Obama called for international monitoring and a "a single transparency mechanism that all countries are adhering to.”
The president also insisted there was economic opportunity in lowering carbon emissions.
“We seek an agreement that gives businesses and investors the certainty that the global economy is on a firm path towards a low-carbon future, because that will spur the kind of investment that will be vital to combine reduced emissions with economic growth,” Obama said. “That’s the goal. Not just an agreement to roll back the pollution that threatens our planet, but an agreement that helps our economies grow and our people to thrive without condemning the next generation to a planet that is beyond its capacity to repair.
“Now, all of this will be hard,” Obama continued. “Getting 200 nations to agree on anything is hard. And I’m sure there will be moments over the next two weeks where progress seems stymied, and everyone rushes to write that we are doomed. But I’m convinced that we’re going to get big things done here. Keep in mind, nobody expected that 180 countries would show up in Paris with serious climate targets in hand. Nobody expected that the price of clean energy would fall as fast as it has, or that back in the United States, the solar industry would be creating jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy. Nobody expected that more than 150 of America’s biggest companies would pledge their support to an ambitious Paris outcome -- or that a couple dozen of the world’s wealthiest private citizens would join us here to pledge to invest unprecedented resources to bring clean energy technologies to market faster.
“What gives me confidence that progress is possible is somebody like Bill Gates -- who I was with yesterday -- understands that tackling climate change is not just a moral imperative, it's an opportunity,” Obama added. “Without batting an eye, he said we’re just going to have to go ahead and invent some new technologies to tackle this challenge. That kind of optimism, that kind of sense that we can do what is necessary is infectious. And you tend to believe somebody like Bill when he says that we’re going to get it done -- since he’s done some pretty remarkable things. And I believe that a successful two weeks here could give the world that same kind of optimism that the future is ours to shape.”
But U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, brought out a resolution on Tuesday “to compel President Obama to submit any binding climate change agreement” to Congress.
“President Obama, currently meeting world leaders in Paris, has indicated that he doesn’t plan on sending any potential climate change agreement to the Senate for their advice and consent,” Yoho said. “This is a clear violation of our Constitution and is an all too familiar course of action with our president.
“The president cannot and should not leave Congress out of the approval process especially when it comes to a massive climate deal that will have far reaching implication for our economy and affect every American,” Yoho added. “The president recently used the same tactic by purposefully circumventing Congress on the Iran nuclear deal by claiming it was not a treaty. Congress should absolutely have approval over a process of this magnitude, regardless of what the president decides to call it that day.”
Obama clearly has a rough road ahead to get congressional approval for any climate change agreement reached in Paris. The U.S. House voted on Tuesday disapproving the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) limits on power plants when it comes to carbon dioxide output.
Yoho voiced his disapproval of Obama’s EPA limits on Tuesday, saying they will hurt the economy, including in his North Florida district.
“More than we care to remember, the Obama administration has proven that it is no friend to the hard working energy producers who ensure that American families have affordable energy,” Yoho said. “Instead, this administration places added requirements on our nation’s energy producers - requirements that only increase the cost, decrease grid reliability, and hinder our economy. Let’s not forget that these restrictions will adversely affect those who are already struggling, living paycheck to paycheck.
“Right now, leaders from around the world are meeting in Paris to discuss further restrictions that will affect energy producers here at home,” Yoho continued. “As Americans, we do not bow to foreign pressure or influence. Especially when it is from foreign countries that are responsible for more than a fifty percent of the world’s carbon emissions and does little if anything to stop it.
“This issue is important to me as a member who represents an area of North Florida that relies heavily on municipal and cooperative power,” Yoho concluded. “Companies like Gainesville Regional Utility, Seminole Electric, and others supply my neighbors with the bulk of their electricity needs. These new requirements will increase the cost of doing business with little measurable benefit. The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal and it is a reliable source of affordable energy. This administration should not be taking this off the table for American families. We should be using our technological know-how to find way to use this affordable fuel source in a way that will not harm the environment.”
Facing the media on Tuesday, Obama admitted it would be tough to get the agreement through Congress but he sounded an optimistic note.
“It is worth remembering that it was conservatives and Republicans and center-right think tanks that originally figured out this was a smarter way to deal with pollution than a command-and-control system,” Obama said. “And it was folks like George H.W. Bush and his EPA that effectively marshalled this approach to deal with acid raid. We ended up solving it a lot faster, a lot cheaper than anybody had anticipated.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
