Montgomery County Executive Reaffirms Commitment To Paris Agreement

SILVER SPRING, MD — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, fulfilling a promise he had campaigned on. Trump's decision to withdraw from the agreement, which is designed to limit global carbon emissions through voluntary commitments, was met by criticism from local and state leaders, some of whom are taking it upon themselves to keep the obligations under the agreement.

On Monday, County Executive Ike Leggett joined more than 1,000 U.S. governors, county executives, mayors, businesses, investors, colleges and universities in declaring their support for U.S. leadership in reducing carbon emissions.

Together, these leaders sent a letter to the international community and the 194 other parties to the Paris Agreement sighting the continued commitment of the U.S. to reduce America's emissions.

“Montgomery County has always been a leader in reducing emissions and we will continue our work to be good stewards locally, regionally, nationally, and globally,” Leggett said in a statement. “We take seriously the importance of increasing energy efficiency, growing renewable energy sources and reducing our greenhouse gases as much as possible. It is the right thing to do for our residents, our local economy and future generations and we will not waiver on our responsibilities.”

To reduce its own footprint, Montgomery County Government has increased the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in its fleet, installed solar energy panels on many County buildings and continues to be one of the nation’s largest local government purchasers of renewable energy. The County also adopted a transportation policy that encourages extensive transit, ridesharing, bicycling and walking opportunities for all County residents, visitors and workers.

Montgomery County also established financing tools to increase investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades through the implementation of a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. The County is the first in the nation to establish a Green Bank.

To view the letter sent to the international community, click here.

Photo: Montgomery County Gov