U.S. coal companies ask Trump to stick
with Paris climate deal
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[April 05, 2017]
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some big American
coal companies have advised President Donald Trump's administration to
break his promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate
Agreement – arguing that the accord could provide their best forum for
protecting their global interests.
Remaining in the global deal to combat climate change will give U.S.
negotiators a chance to advocate for coal in the future of the global
energy mix, coal companies like Cloud Peak Energy Inc and Peabody Energy
Corp told White House officials over the past few weeks, according to
executives and a U.S. official familiar with the discussions.
"The future is foreign markets, so the last thing you want to do if you
are a coal company is to give up a U.S. seat in the international
climate discussions and let the Europeans control the agenda," said the
official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to
speak publicly on the issue.
"They can’t afford for the most powerful advocate for fossil fuels to be
away from the table," the official said.
Cloud Peak and Peabody officials confirmed the discussions.
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In Cloud Peak's view, staying in the agreement and trying to encourage
"a more balanced, reasonable and appropriate path forward" on fossil
fuel technologies among signatories to the accord seems like a
reasonable stance, said Cloud Peak's vice president of government
affairs, Richard Reavey.
The coal industry was interested in ensuring that the Paris deal
provides a role for low-emission coal-fired power plants and financial
support for carbon capture and storage technology, the officials said.
They also want the pact to protect multilateral funding for
international coal projects through bodies like the World Bank.
The Paris accord, agreed by nearly 200 countries in 2015, would seek to
limit global warming by slashing carbon dioxide and other emissions from
burning fossil fuels. As part of the deal, the United States committed
to reducing its emissions by between 26 percent and 28 percent below
2005 levels by 2025.
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![](../images/040517pics/news_y49.jpg)
Haul trucks move coal as seen during a tour of Peabody Energy's
North Antelope Rochelle coal mine near Gillette, Wyoming, U.S. on
June 1, 2016. The haul trucks operating at North Antelope Rochelle
Mine hold 380 to 400 tons of material. REUTERS/Kristina Barker/File
Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Apr/05/images/ads/current/st_claras_lda_082114.png)
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to pull the
United States out of the pact, tapping into a well of concern among
his fellow Republicans that the United States' energy habits would
be policed by the United Nations.
But since being elected, he has been mostly quiet on the issue, and
administration officials have recently been asking energy companies
for advice.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said last week that the
administration expected to make a decision on whether to remain a
party to the deal by the time leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy
nations meet in late May.
The prospect of the United States remaining in the Paris deal has
irritated some smaller miners, including Murray Energy Corp, whose
chief executive, Robert Murray helped fund Trump’s presidential bid.
Staying in the Paris accord could also face resistance from within
Trump’s party. Republican Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
has been circulating a letter among Republican lawmakers calling on
the president to stay in the deal but has gathered only seven
signatures so far.
(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Jonathan Oatis)
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