Larry Behrens
Larry Behrens is the Communications Director for Power The Future.
Despite a red wave sweeping across America last November, a green wall is descending over part of the country.
As President Trump took the oath of office, his administration renewed its commitment to rejecting the Paris Climate Agreement, the 2015 legally binding international treaty on climate change. As Trump made good on his campaign promise, a little-known environmental coalition called the US Climate Alliance doubled down on its pledge to uphold the very accords Trump ran and won against. And they are denying the results of the election by taking millions of Americans with them.
The US Climate Alliance is a group of governors formed as a reaction to Trump’s initial withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017. Its goal was to defy federal policy and adhere to the accord’s emissions reduction targets. Beneath its surface lies a clear driver: Michael Bloomberg. The billionaire environmentalist and former New York City mayor has provided significant financial backing to ensure that the Alliance’s green policies remain intact. This is not grassroots advocacy; it is special interest money dictating how millions of working families must live.
It is the exact agenda voters rejected.
President Trump ran on a platform of abandoning the Paris Agreement and won Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. That’s over 50 million combined people in states that voted against the Paris accords and the economic burdens they impose. Yet, their governors remain tethered to the US Climate Alliance and green agenda dollars. These leaders have chosen to prioritize the Paris Climate agreement over their constituents.
To be clear, even during President Biden’s tenure, with a Democratic majority in the Senate, the Paris Climate Agreement never received a vote. The reason is obvious: its unpopularity is evident. The agreement lets China pollute without consequence while forcing the US to cut affordable and reliable energy production. It’s a deal that benefits global competitors at the expense of American workers.
The economic costs are significant. Families in states bound by the US Climate Alliance are paying nearly five per cent more for gas at the pump and over 13 per cent more for electricity compared to the national average. These aren’t abstract figures – they represent the real financial strain on working families already struggling to make ends meet. In fact, of the five states with the highest electric bills in the nation, all five are members of the US Climate Alliance. All this is done in service of a policy that disproportionately harms Americans while offering little in return.
The Paris Climate Agreement’s failures are glaring. It punishes American families while rewarding global competitors like China. Yet, the US Climate Alliance remains committed to forcing its burdens on millions of Americans. Governors in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin should be working to free their states from this costly green wall, not reinforcing it with to appease their special interest friends.
Americans deserve better. The US Climate Alliance must acknowledge that voters have rejected the Paris Climate Agreement and the economic hardships it entails. Governors, particularly in states that supported Trump, need to respect the voices of their constituents instead of pandering to billionaire-funded special interests.
Leaders are elected to represent their people, not the agendas of wealthy donors. If the US Climate Alliance refuses to change course, voters should speak up. Governors who ignore the will of their constituents may find themselves replaced by leaders who prioritize the people over green special interests. Americans didn’t vote for the Paris Climate Agreement, and they shouldn’t be forced to live under it.
This article originally appeared at Real Clear Energy and was republished by CFACT.
