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Legislative Update from Washington- H.R. 9

Washington, April 30, 2019

This week, there will be a symbolic vote in the House of Representatives to stop President Trump from withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. This is H.R. 9 for those who follow Washington closely.

The problem with the Paris Agreement is that it was itself symbolic.
1️⃣ It was never legally binding on the countries that signed it.
2️⃣ There were no consequences for failing to comply.
3️⃣ Different nations chose vastly different requirements for reducing greenhouse gasses (e.g. India and China).
4️⃣ It represented a MASSIVE wealth transfer from the U.S. in the name of "climate finance" while asking that we place unfair burdens on our industries that few other nations could (or would) accept.
5️⃣ And if all that weren't enough, even MIT researchers recognized that full compliance would ONLY result in a 0.2°C reduction in global temperatures by the year 2100. (Yes, zero-point-two degrees, 81 years from now, while Democrats claim the Earth has 10 years left.)

I have no problem with the President withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, and I intend to vote with my Republican colleagues against H.R. 9 later this week. The U.S. already leads the WORLD in the greenhouse gas reductions. I believe we must continue that leadership and work diligently towards maturing clean and renewable technologies. However, until such time as they can support the majority of our energy needs, I will not vote to jeopardize our nation, economy, or way of life.

PICTURED HERE: as a co-founder of the bi-partisan Congressional Solar Caucus, earlier today I was pleased to speak with members of the Social Energy Industries Association. This conference included a panelist from South Carolina, as well as more than 30 staff members who were eager to learn about the development of the solar industry across our nation.