U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement today after Hela Cheikhrouhou, executive director of the United Nations Green Climate Fund, dismissed Republicans' wide opposition to the Obama administration's pledge of $3 billion to developing countries dealing with climate change by saying, "I'm still reasonably optimistic that there is going to be a decision to support [the Green Climate Fund]."
"Nations gathering in Paris should give more credence to Republican Senators, who control whether the Green Climate Fund receives any taxpayer dollars, than the dismissive rhetoric from an unelected U.N. bureaucrat. President Obama has made a pledge, but it is one he cannot deliver on without support from the U.S. Senate. To date, President Obama and his administrative officials have failed to consult Congress on any component of the international negotiations.
"In July, the Senate EPW Committee held a hearing examining the president's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution. Consensus among the panel of experts, including former Sierra Club Climate Counsel, was that the plan simply does not add up and the goal of a 26 to 28 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2025 is not realistic. In an attempt to engage the administration on these questions, a group of eleven Senators, including myself, sent a letter to President Obama asking how the administration plans to meet the INDC's goals. We requested a response by July 22, and have yet to receive any acknowledgement of the letter from the administration much less a response.
"This week, Senator Capito's EPW subcommittee attempted to hold a joint hearing with Senator Barrasso's Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee to conduct oversight of the ongoing international climate negotiations. However, minority obstruction coupled with a complete disregard for congressional oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality prevented the joint hearing from going forward. The administration's tactics of sweeping Republican opposition under the rug in order to appear as though they are leading the way reveals a new level of desperation. Consistent with previous EPW oversight, the committee plans to hold a full committee hearing with administrative officials on the international climate negotiations in the coming weeks. Invitations to Todd Stern, Christy Goldfuss, and EPA remain. "