WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday criticized President Barack Obama’s climate deal with China, saying it doesn’t require the Chinese to do anything to restrict carbon emissions for 16 years.
“The problem is the president continues to send signals that he has no intention of moving toward the middle,” McConnell, of Kentucky, told reporters. “I was particularly distressed by the deal he has reached with the Chinese on his current trip.”
“As I read the agreement, it requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years, while these carbon emission regulations are creating havoc in my state and in other states across the country.”
China and the United States agreed on Wednesday to new limits on carbon emissions starting in 2025.
McConnell made criticism of the Obama administration’s planned restrictions on coal-fired power plant emissions a central theme of his own re-election campaign in Kentucky, a major coal-mining state.
McConnell’s remarks came at a photo session with newly elected Republican senators on the first day of a “lame-duck” session of Congress before a new Republican majority takes control of the Senate from Democrats in January.
He declined to say what actions Republicans will take regarding the carbon emission deal, adding, “We’ll be discussing all that with our colleagues here in the next few days before we get ready to take over the new majority.”
Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from the oil-producing state of Oklahoma, called the agreement “hollow” and a “non-binding charade” that would allow China to continue launching a new coal-fired power plant every 10 days. He said it was “not believable” that China will shift 20 percent of its energy to non-fossil fuels by 2030.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrat who will hand over the gavel to McConnell, praised Obama’s deal with China as helping to tackle climate change.
“The historic announcement by President Obama and President Xi Jingping of China is exactly what is needed to ensure that America’s efforts to clean up our energy supply are replicated around the world,” Reid said in a statement.
“As I’ve said in the past, we cannot wait to address climate change and strengthen our nation’s resilience to extreme weather and climate impacts. I hope this agreement will spur other countries to join with us in confronting climate change.”