U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe, Roy Blunt and Joe Manchin released a resolution Nov. 19 expressing that they don't support President Barack Obama's climate agenda and that the Senate has a say regarding any agreement that will be reached at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in December.
In a statement, Inhofe said that the international community has to be made aware that the American people and the U.S. Congress don't support Obama's stance on climate change, most especially after expert testimony offered at a recent oversight hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (which Inhofe chairs) has made it clear that the U.S. president's commitments are non-binding.
"I would urge caution in considering any diplomatic promises that may suggest otherwise as the president is once again attempting to make international promises he cannot deliver," said Inhofe.
To Blunt, Obama is showing total disregard for the interests of the American people and the limits of his authority. He said that a provision exists giving the Senate "advice and consent" powers and that they intend to use this in stopping the president from moving forward with any commitment that could potentially hurt Americans.
Manchin specifically mentioned that energy-producing states in the United States will be hurt by any agreement from the Paris climate talks because commitments generally involve cutting back on emissions. He said Obama's administration should not be allowed to put American businesses at a disadvantage by enacting unproven and unattainable mandates.
Essentially, unless Senate also signs off on it, any commitment Obama makes regarding the U.N. Climate Fund will not be deemed as official.
Inhofe, chairman of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions and International Economic, Energy and Environmental Policy, led a letter-sending initiative to Obama regarding this matter.
According to the senators, as part of the Green Climate Fund, Obama agreed to aid in raising $100 billion each year to help fund developing countries, aside from pledging $3 billion. They said that Congress has never authorized any sort of assistance for the Green Climate Fund.
Photo: John Englart | Flickr
