[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 676 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 676

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
       States should formally withdraw from the Paris Agreement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2019

  Mr. Arrington (for himself, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Mullin, Mr. 
   Palmer, Mr. Estes, Mr. Banks, Mr. Weber of Texas, Ms. Cheney, Mr. 
  McKinley, Mr. Comer, Mr. Roy, and Mr. Bishop of Utah) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
       States should formally withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Whereas, on June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would 
        cease all implementation of the Paris Agreement;
Whereas, on August 4, 2017, the Department of State notified the United Nations 
        Secretary General that the United States would provide formal 
        notification of withdrawal ``as soon as it is eligible to do so'';
Whereas the agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016;
Whereas according to article 28 of the Paris Agreement, the period of 
        eligibility for the United States to begin the formal withdrawal process 
        begins November 4, 2019, three years from the date on which the 
        agreement has entered into force;
Whereas withdrawal may take effect one year later, on or after November 4, 2020, 
        and in the meantime, the United States will remain a Party to the Paris 
        Agreement, unless, following customary international law, the other 
        Parties agree to allow an earlier exit;
Whereas President Obama unilaterally accepted the Paris Agreement in August 2016 
        under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, rather 
        than ratifying it as a treaty with the advice and consent of the Senate, 
        a requirement stated in article II, section 2 of the Constitution;
Whereas in addition to entering into the Agreement without congressional 
        approval, burdensome regulatory measures have put the United States at a 
        competitive disadvantage, costing American jobs and increasing energy 
        costs for consumers and taxpayers;
Whereas according to one report, implementing policies to comply with the Paris 
        Agreement would have increased electricity costs for a family of 4 
        between 13 and 20 percent annually;
Whereas a cost-benefit analysis was not conducted at the time of commitments, 
        and subsequent reports have found that meeting the commitments agreed to 
        could cost the United States GDP $250,000,000,000 and 2,700,000 jobs by 
        2025;
Whereas all 28 European Union countries are falling short of their commitments 
        under the Paris Agreement, and meanwhile, the world's worst emitters, 
        China, Russia, and India, are exempted from its requirements;
Whereas according to the International Energy Agency, the United States has seen 
        the largest absolute decline in emissions among all countries since 
        2000;
Whereas a recent study showed that the Paris Agreement will not have any 
        meaningful impact on climate change, reducing global average 
        temperatures by just 0.086F in 2100;
Whereas the United States is pioneering environmental protection without 
        international interference, is a world leader at reducing pollutants 
        known to cause immediate harm to humans, and is ranked number one in the 
        world for clean water, according to the World Health Organization's 
        airborne particulate matter standards and the Environmental Protection 
        Agency; and
Whereas instead of binding the United States to international agreements that 
        put Americans at a national security and economic disadvantage to our 
        competitors abroad, we should be focused on continuing to reduce 
        emissions, developing and exporting clean energy technologies, and 
        making our communities more resilient, all while ensuring affordable, 
        reliable energy prices and prioritizing the consumer, American security, 
        and prosperity: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States should formally submit its 
notification to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
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