Reaction to Leaving Paris Accord Splits Along Party Lines

The reaction among Texas leaders to President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement largely fell along partisan lines.

Trump declared Thursday that he was withdrawing the United States from the landmark agreement, striking a major blow to worldwide efforts to combat climate change and distancing the country from many allies abroad.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, former governor of Texas, cheered the decision for breaking with Obama administration energy policy. He said that "instead of preaching about clean energy, this administration will act on it."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas and the GOP's second-ranking member of the Senate, applauded the decision as Trump "continues to turn the page on the previous administration's job-killing regulatory agenda." And Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and a former Republican presidential candidate, hailed the decision "for putting American jobs first."

However, Democrats take a different view. U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, tweeted "@realDonaldTrump’s decision to drop out of #ParisAgreement leaves us isolated from all of our major allies."

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins released a statement, saying, "the President is abandoning the fight against the earth's biggest threat. Humankind is facing violent weather and dangerous high temperatures."

Energy Secretary Rick Perry:

"Today the President announced that the United States will no longer be bound by an agreement unilaterally entered into by the Obama Administration. This was neither submitted to nor ratified by the U.S. Senate, and is not in the best long term economic interest of the United States. President Trump’s decision will prove to be the right course of action and one I fully support.

"Instead of preaching about clean energy, this Administration will act on it. Our work and deeds are more important than empty words. I know you can drive economic growth and protect the environment at the same time, because that is exactly what I did as Governor of Texas.

"The United States will continue to be actively engaged in the development of global energy and the world leader in the development of next generation technology. That is exactly why I am traveling to Japan and China to discuss the benefits of all forms of energy, including nuclear, fossil, LNG and renewables. I also plan to discuss technological advances such as carbon capture (CCS) that can leverage the abundant resources we have available in an environmentally responsible way.

"The United States will continue to be a leader in energy technology, development, and delivery. We will serve as an example to the rest of the world on how to achieve economic, energy, and environmental goals simultaneously."

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas:

"I applaud the President’s decision today as he continues to turn the page on the previous Administration’s job-killing regulatory agenda. For eight years the Obama White House waged a war on American energy producers, and they characteristically overstepped their authority by unilaterally entering into this agreement. Working together, Congress and the Trump Administration should instead promote innovation-driven energy policies that fit the diverse needs of consumers, businesses, and a growing economy alike."

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas:

"I applaud @POTUS for putting American jobs & energy first by withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement."

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth:

".@realDonaldTrump’s decision to drop out of #ParisAgreement leaves us isolated from all of our major allies. Every. Single. One."

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins:

"The President is abandoning the fight against the Earth's biggest threat. Humankind is facing violent weather and dangerous high temperatures. In the last five years, Dallas County has fought two deadly emerging disease emergencies exacerbated by climate change that claimed 19 lives to West Nile Virus and another to Ebola. Increasingly violent weather claimed four lives in the flooding of 2015 and nine more in the 2016 tornadoes. Counties, cities and business will need to redouble our efforts, to demonstrate to the world that President Trump’s action does not reflect the views and values of most Americans. Everyone has a role to play. We must think globally and act locally."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton:

"President Trump’s courageous decision to exit the Paris Accord recognizes that the United States is not legally bound to an Obama-era agreement that set unrealistic emissions targets at the expense of billions of American taxpayer dollars without the approval of Congress.

"By making a clean break from the deal, the president has freed up economic growth and protected American jobs."

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas:

"When the U.S. signed onto the Paris climate agreement, I spoke of how I was proud that we were taking a leadership role in protecting our environment and preserving our planet for generations to come. Today, I am not proud. I am saddened and embarrassed that this country will not be working in coordination with the international community to address the threat of climate change. In a time when we are watching the Great Barrier Reef die, one of Antarctica's ice sheets collapse into the sea, and experiencing more severe weather events, it is the height of shortsightedness to pull out of this agreement. The President is not only ceding leadership on addressing this threat, perhaps the most serious environmental challenge in human history, but his action today betrays a lack of faith in America's ability to innovate our way out of this global challenge. Historians will not look kindly on today's decision. The U.S. should be striving to leave the world a better place for future generations, not walking away from our responsibilities to our citizens and our planet."

Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens:

"Without question, America is a nation committed to environmental leadership. All you have to do is look at how much cleaner our country has gotten over the last 10 years through the expanded use of natural gas. But the Paris Climate Accord is another bad deal negotiated by the Obama Administration, and America should applaud President Trump's decision to exit. We should pursue a new environmental agreement on the global stage that achieves a fair, balanced and achievable commitment by all nations. This will protect American jobs and create yet another opportunity to focus on utilizing everything American when it comes to energy. Let’s build upon the progress we have made by expanding the use of natural gas in any plan going forward. Make America Great Again."