Houston Chronicle – by James Osborne
WASHINGTON – The United States’ future as a leader in international efforts to slow climate change teetered on the edge Wednesday, as reports emerged from the White House that President Donald Trump was preparing to announce he would withdraw the country from the Paris accord.
The development fanned a debate within the U.S. oil and gas industry over whether the country was unwisely sacrificing its leadership role on a global pact that threatens to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels for decades to come in favor of less carbon-intensive forms of energy. The debate has largely pitted major oil companies that do business around the world against smaller firms already struggling with low oil and gas prices and increased regulations – a split so sharp that the American Petroleum Institute, which represents a wide range of oil and gas companies, has not taken a position on the pact. Continue reading “Small US oil firms at odds with oil majors over Paris climate deal”