The White House Has Apparently Decided Not To Withdraw From The Paris Climate Agreement After All

In what will likely come as upsetting news to many of the “Mother of All Rallies” attendees in Washington D.C., President Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly decided not to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the Wall Street Journal, White House officials revealed their new plan at a meeting of more than 30 ministers from Canada, China, the European Union and other nations in Montreal on Saturday.

“The U.S. has stated that they will not renegotiate the Paris accord, but they will try to review the terms on which they could be engaged under this agreement,” European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said.

After a whirlwind of rumors in late May, Trump officially announced on June 1st that he would be withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. The news was met with intense criticism, especially from American business leaders and several major cities (not to mention the Weather Channel). As for Saturday’s breaking news, however, the Wall Street Journal was unable to confirm the story with any White House officials willing to go on record. What’s more, New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush said a White House spokesperson had denied the meeting account, “saying the position hasn’t changed.”

Per the original story, it was senior adviser Everett Eissenstat who had apparently told attendees at the Montreal meeting of the change. He said the country “is expected to significantly reduce its ambition to curb greenhouse-gas emissions,” a move that would be in accordance with the president’s stated desire for “fairer terms” in the agreement.

UPDATE: Sarah Huckabee Sanders took to Twitter to refute the Wall Street Journal‘s story. “Our position on the Paris agreement has not changed,” she wrote. “[The president’s] has been clear, US withdrawing unless we get pro-America terms.”

(Via Wall Street Journal)