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Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] POLITICO Pro Energy Whiteboard Fri 6/2/2017 6:38:31 PM Pruitt dodges questions about Trump's climate beliefs
By Alex Guillen
06/02/2017 02:35 PM EDT
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt repeatedly declined to say whether President Donald Trump believes in the science of climate change, arguing instead that the administration's focus has been on the disadvantages of the Paris agreement.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is causing climate change, calling it a hoax designed to disadvantage U.S. businesses. Trump has not disavowed that view, but the White House refuses to say if he still holds it.
"All the discussions we've had for the last several weeks have been focused on one singular issue: Is Paris good or not for this country? That's the discussions I've had with the president," Pruitt said today at the White House's daily briefing when asked about Trump's views.
"The focus remained on whether Paris put us at a disadvantage, and in fact it did; it put us at an economic disadvantage," he added.
Pruitt did not say whether or how Trump weighed the economic risks posed by climate change itself.
Asked about his personal views, Pruitt repeated his position that human activity's contributions to climate change are difficult to measure with precision, and suggested that his critics are "climate exaggerators."
"What the American people deserve is a debate, objective, transparent discussion about this issue," Pruitt said. "What Paris represents is an international agreement this put this country at a disadvantage with very little benefit environmentally across the globe."
Press Secretary Sean Spicer later declined to answer questions about Trump's position. "I have not had an opportunity to have that discussion," he said.
To view online'. https://www.politicopro.eom/energy/whiteboard/2017/06/pruitt-dodges-questions-about-trumpsclimate-beliefs-088566
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