Energy

Rick Perry Says Trump Will ‘Need To Renegotiate’ The Paris Agreement

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Michael Bastasch DCNF Managing Editor
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Energy Secretary Rick Perry told conference goers he would not advise President Donald Trump to “walk away” from the Paris climate agreement, but conceded the agreement will need to be renegotiated.

Perry made the remarks at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance summit in New York City Tuesday. Perry is the only Trump administration slated to speak at the conference, which largely focuses on promoting green energy as a solution to global warming.

The White House is considering whether or not to keep Trump’s campaign pledge to pull out of the Paris agreement. Conservative groups want Trump to keep his promise, but some energy companies and administration officials are trying to pull him the other way.

On one side, Ivanka Trump, White House aide Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson support remaining in Paris. White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt oppose the Paris agreement.

Perry’s remarks likely put him in the “remain” camp, pitting him against Bannon and Pruitt. A source previously told The Daily Caller’s Kaitlan Collins that Perry has softened his stance on Paris.

The Paris agreement commits United Nations members to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. President Barack Obama’s Paris pledge has the U.S. cut emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025.

The Paris agreement was never ratified by the Senate — a constitutional requirement for treaties.

Trump promised to “cancel” the Paris agreement on the campaign trail, and has already issued executive orders to dismantle Obama-era greenhouse gas regulations. Trump’s proposed budget cuts funding for UN climate programs.

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