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

IV 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) sub- mitted 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 noti- fied the United Nations Secretary General that the United States would provide formal notification of with- drawal ‘‘as soon as it is eligible to do so’’; Whereas the agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016; VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:33 Nov 01, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR676.IH HR676 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 676 IH Whereas according to article 28 of the Paris Agreement, the period of eligibility for the United States to begin the for- mal 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 Agree- ment, 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 disadvan- tage, 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 per- cent 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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:33 Nov 01, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR676.IH HR676 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 676 IH 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, re- ducing global average temperatures by just 0.086° F in 2100; Whereas the United States is pioneering environmental pro- tection without international interference, is a world lead- er 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 Organiza- tion’s airborne particulate matter standards and the En- vironmental 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, de- veloping and exporting clean energy technologies, and making our communities more resilient, all while ensur- ing affordable, reliable energy prices and prioritizing the consumer, American security, and prosperity: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the United States should formally sub- 1 mit its notification to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:33 Nov 01, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR676.IH HR676 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS