Legal Insurrection readers will recall President Donald Trump’s address earlier this summer, in which he outlined all the reasons he was withdrawing the United States from the international climate agreement his predecessor signed in Paris.

The U.S. Department of State has now officially filed notice to begin the formal process of withdrawal from the Paris accord.

Today, the United States submitted a communication to the United Nations, in its capacity as depositary for the Paris Agreement, regarding the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as soon as it is eligible to do so, consistent with the terms of the Agreement. As the President indicated in his June 1 announcement and subsequently, he is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favorable to it, its businesses, its workers, its people, and its taxpayers. The United States supports a balanced approach to climate policy that lowers emissions while promoting economic growth and ensuring energy security. We will continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through innovation and technology breakthroughs, and work with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in many nationally determined contributions.

Like many divorces, this one is going to be filled with paperwork and tedious delays.

The notice, which will be released by the State Department and transmitted by the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, will be the first written notice that the administration plans to pull out of the 2015 pact, which has won the support of nearly 200 nations. ….Under the terms of the Paris deal, the U.S. can’t fully withdraw until Nov. 4, 2020 — one day after the next presidential election. The next president could decide to rejoin the agreement if Trump doesn’t win a second term.

I suspect that the dramatic economic upswing being experienced in this country, in part due to President Trump’s removal of business-crushing regulations, will give voters much impetus to re-elect him so that the process of withdrawal is allowed to come to completion.

The upside to this timeline? The agreement is non-binding so American compliance is optional during these next few years. Additionally, the administration still intends to participate in upcoming international climate conferences, as stated in the State Department notice. And Trump indicates he is still open to considering new terms.

Initial reports on the withdrawal notice did not say whether it will address Trump’s stated goal of renegotiating the terms of the climate change deal, although he has said he is fine if it’s not possible to negotiate new terms. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Trump in announcing his intention to withdraw from the deal said he was open to discussing a new climate deal with Democrats. …Trump said the Democrats’ opinions on Trump’s renegotiation strategy will have to coincide with what he considers a fair deal under any climate agreement. He views the climate agreement to be anathema to his pro-growth America First agenda, citing an industry -study that showed the economy would lose $3 trillion in GDP and 6.5 million industrial sector jobs by 2040. “I’m willing to immediately work with Democratic leaders to either negotiate our way back into Paris, under the terms that are fair to the United States and its workers, or to negotiate a new deal that protects our country and its taxpayers,” Trump said.

After Trump’s June announcement, California Governor Jerry Brown rushed to set-up an international climate agreement involving the Golden State and China. In the wake of this announcement, a former California governor is making his own move against the Trump administration’s environmental policies.

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday unveiled an environmental initiative to answer President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accords. Called the Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook, it is a searchable database of environmental bills and laws designed to help legislators create their own climate change laws. The initiative is a cooperative effort between the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.

I suspect that Schwarzenegger’s new project will be as successful as his stint as the host of “Celebrity Apprentice”.



