Document x5346v64Lj9mdZDz56k64q8y6

\Ne, the undersigned, write in enthusiastic support of your campaign commitments to withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs. We were heartened by the comments you made at your 100-day rally in Harrisburg and agree that the treaty is not in the interest of the American people and the U. S. should therefore not be a party to it. Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Treaty is an integral part of your energy agenda. The Obama Administration's Nationally Determined Contribution (or NDC) to the Paris Climate Treaty commits the United States to take actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. Paris then requires a more ambitious NDC every five years in perpetuity. The NDC cites specific policies undertaken by the Obama Administration as part of the NDC. These include: the greenhouse gas emissions rules for existing (the "Clean Power" Plan) and new power plants; Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for vehicles; methane emissions rules for the oil and gas sector and for landfills; and energy efficiency and conservation standards for buildings and appliances. Environmental pressure groups and several state Attorneys General have begun to prepare lawsuits in federal court to block withdrawal of the "Clean Power" Plan and other greenhouse gas rules. One argument that they have already put forward is that these rules cannot be withdrawn because they are part of our international commitment under the Paris Climate Treaty. Failing to withdraw from Paris thus exposes key parts of your deregulatory energy agenda to unnecessary legal risk. The AGs revealed in a recruiting letter that they also plan other lawsuits "ensuring that the promises made in Paris become reality." Some officials in your administration are relying on recent statements from former Obama administration officials that the U. S. can withdraw its NDC ED_001523_00008169 and submit a new NDC that makes far less ambitious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The clear language of Article 4 of the Paris Climate Treaty contradicts that claim. Section 11 states: "A Party may at any time adjust its existing nationally determined contribution with a view to enhancing its level of ambition" (emphasis added). Even if the U. S. were to be cleared by UN officials to submit a less ambitious NDC, this is not the end of the threats posed by the Paris Climate Treaty to your pro-energy agenda and to the economic future of our country. Article 4 requires each party to submit a more ambitious NDC at least every five years in perpetuity. This commitment to reduce fossil fuel use every five years cannot be wished away by those who argue that the U. S. should keep a seat at the negotiating table in order to advocate for fossil fuels. In urging you to keep your campaign commitment, we recognize that there are several options for you to withdraw the U.S. from Paris. Of the three options listed below, we think the first two are preferable to the third. First, you could submit the Paris Climate Treaty to the Senate for its advice and consent with a recommendation that the treaty not be ratified. Submitting the treaty to the Senate would return us to and restore the proper constitutional method for treaty-making and require a future administration to go through proper procedures if it were to attempt to rejoin the treaty. Second, you could withdraw from the underlying UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This action would also achieve your commitment to "stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN global warming programs," including the Green Climate Fund, which is a part of the UNFCCC. ED_001523_00008169