Advisers urging Trump to remain in Paris accord

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s most influential policy advisers are urging him to keep the United States in the landmark Paris climate accord of 2015, a move that would break one of his signature campaign promises and further downgrade the counsel of his senior strategist, Stephen Bannon.

Trump plans to make a final decision before a meeting of the Group of 7 leading economies at the end of May, according to Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary.

A team of Trump’s principal advisers was scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon at the White House to discuss the decision with the aim of recommending a path forward, but the meeting was canceled after some of the planned attendees flew with Trump to an event in Wisconsin, a White House spokeswoman said.

Influence wanes

The spokeswoman, Kelly Love, said the meeting was still expected to take place, although the timing was unclear.

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to “cancel” the climate deal, and his most politically conservative advisers, including Bannon, have pushed him to follow through. But Bannon’s influence has waned in recent weeks, while authority has risen for Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who support staying in the accord.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, has also spoken in favor of “keeping a seat at the table” in the climate pact.

While no decision has been made, experts tracking it say that view is gaining traction.

“We do not currently believe the Trump administration plans to withdraw from either Paris agreement,” Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners in Washington, wrote in a memo to clients on Monday.

While Trump does not have the power to undo a multilateral U.N. accord, he could withdraw the world’s largest economy from the pact. Such a move would win cheers from the nation’s most powerful conservative advocates and give Trump bragging rights in coal country.

But withdrawing from the accord, which committed nearly every nation to take action against planet-warming emissions could create diplomatic blowback while weakening U.S. leadership in arenas far afield from energy and the environment.

Besides, keeping the United States’ name on the accord does not obligate the Trump administration to abide by the ambitious emissions-control pledges of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.

At least one senior White House climate policy adviser, George David Banks, has advocated staying in the agreement while replacing the Obama plan with a weaker, more industry-friendly pledge.

Exxon Mobil support

In recent weeks, Banks has asked top officials at several major corporations, including Exxon Mobil, who have similar views, to submit letters to the White House confirming their support for staying in the Paris deal.

In response, Peter Trelenberg, manager of environmental policy and planning at Exxon Mobil, wrote to Banks, “Exxon Mobil supports the Paris agreement as an effective framework for addressing the risks of climate change.”