President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate accord has catalyzed the already strong transition to renewable energy and commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
“Right now, we have not heard of anyone backing off” because of Trump’s announcement on the Paris agreement, says Block Andrews, who leads federal policy for Burns & McDonnell’s generation group. Since Trump announced on June 1 that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, there has been widespread evidence of a reluctance to follow the White House. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) met with China to recommit to the goals of the agreement, Hawaii passed a law aligning the state’s goals with those of the Paris accord, and New York state issued a request for proposals for 2.5-million megawatt-hours of renewable energy for the state.