Gov. Baker Urges Trump To Stay In Paris Climate Deal

Gov. Charlie Baker is urging the Trump administration to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement.

President Trump will reportedly decide later this month whether the U.S. will withdraw from the landmark pact, which was agreed to when President Obama was in office. Late last month, Trump called the agreement a "one-sided" deal.

In a letter released Wednesday, Baker and his fellow Republican governor in Vermont, Phil Scott, called on federal leaders to maintain the country's Paris commitments.

"Our states, working individually and in multi-state efforts, have already made tremendous progress in reducing our carbon emissions," the governors write. "The U.S. commitment of 26-28 percent below 2005 levels is achievable, but we need continued national leadership."

The letter is addressed to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, a former Republican governor of Texas.

"The impacts of climate change have already been felt in our states," Baker and Scott write. "We have seen the impacts of rising sea levels, increasingly severe flooding, heat waves, droughts, and decline in snow cover. These impacts threaten the people of our states and put an intense burden on our economies."

The fate of the Paris agreement has been up in the air since Trump took office, with opposing factions within the administration reportedly at odds over whether to maintain U.S. commitments.

After the presidential election, hundreds of U.S. businesses urged Trump to uphold the Paris pact. The CEO of Boston-based General Electric has also defended the Paris deal.

In August, Baker signed a bill aimed at increasing the state's reliance on renewable energy.

Months earlier, the state's highest court ruled that Massachusetts had failed to meet its legal obligation to set and enforce specific limits on greenhouse gas emissions.