Sierra Club: U.S. Climate Alliance Shows “what U.S. leadership on climate should look like”

NEW YORK -- Today, California Governor Jerry Brown, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, the co-chairs of the U.S. Climate Alliance, announced that the 14 states and Puerto Rico that are participants in the Alliance -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the newest state, North Carolina -- are on track to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement. Today’s announcement also included the release of a report that tracks each state’s emissions across economic sectors and lays out pathways for further climate action.

A recent Sierra Club analysis found that if current trends continue on coal plant retirements and clean energy growth, the U.S. will be on track to yield another half-billion tons of carbon reduction and put the U.S. Paris Agreement commitments within reach.

In response, Sierra Club Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt released the following statement:

"We applaud Governors Cooper, Brown, Cuomo, and Inslee and the entire U.S. Climate Alliance for continuing to show Donald Trump what U.S. leadership on climate should look like. If one thing has remained certain over the past nine months, it’s that state and local climate action are the key to tackling the climate crisis. While those in the Trump Administration may be content to bury their heads in the sand, the rest of the country is acting to protect families and communities from the worst effects of the climate crisis.”