Washington, D.C. — The United States energy sector is leading the world in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, USEA Executive Director Barry Worthington told Fox News this week.

In an interview with Fox News host Ed Henry just after Madrid hosted a global climate meeting this month, Worthington said the American energy industry is doing what other countries are simply promising.

197 countries signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2016; only 185 countries have ratified their commitment.

Now, on the heels of the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) in Madrid, members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have done little beyond make promises, Worthington told Fox News’ Ed Henry.

“China [for example] has committed to try someday, and that’s the commitment the Chinese government made under the Paris Accord, which was part of the reason President Trump decided to pull out of Paris,” Worthington told Henry.

“China is building hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of coal plants, not just in China, but all around the world, in Africa, in South America, in other countries in Asia. So, their emissions are going to go up dramatically. And U.S. emissions are going down,” Worthington said.

The U.S. electric power sector has already reduced emissions by 28 percent over 2005 levels, an ambitious 2025 target set by former President Obama.

Whatsmore, China is not using innovative technology, like carbon capture and sequestration, to capture emissions from those plants.

USEA is strong supporter of the 45Q tax credit, an incentive for energy and industrial operators to use carbon capture and sequestration technology.

“We’re ahead of the game,” Worthington said. “[And] we’re using the best technology, both to build new facilities and to retrofit and remodel existing facilities.”

Worthington said energy consumption globally will increase between 50 percent and 100 percent by 2050, so deploying clean energy technology and advancing innovation is “critical.”

“We’re going to need all the technologies that we can deploy,” Worthington said.

When asked about the impact the energy plans of 2020 Democratic candidates will have on middle class families, Worthington told Henry, “[Consumers] are going to see their energy costs go up dramatically, and their taxes go up dramatically. The key is to allow the industry to deploy technology, fund innovation, and find ways to reduce emissions while keeping costs affordable.”

When asked about Democratic hopeful Michael Bloomberg’s recently-unveiled initiative to close all coal plants by 2030, Worthington told Henry, “The reality is, when talking about eliminating all coal plants, you’re talking about eliminating communities and decimating the way of life for a lot of people.”

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If you would like to speak with USEA Executive Director Barry Worthington, please contact Dipka Bhambhani at [email protected] or 202-321-3337.

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