Watch Sen. Cantwell’s remarks here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) along with Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer (D- Mass.), and Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D- R.I.), Brian Schatz (D- Hawaii), and Ed Markey (D- Mass.) defended the Paris Agreement and stressed the importance of U.S. leadership in the clean energy economy.

At the press conference Senator Cantwell said, “Climate change is not just a threat, but also an opportunity.  I come from an innovation state and Washington is leading the way on the clean energy technologies that are revolutionizing the way we consume and generate energy.”

The International Energy Administration estimates that $67 trillion of new investments are needed to meet the world’s greenhouse gas goals by 2040.  “If we withdraw from the Paris Agreement, we lose the opportunity to attract trillions of dollars in investments and millions of jobs,” Cantwell continued. “Our business community knows this well, which is why over one thousand of them—including over sixty Fortune 500 companies—have called for the United States to stay in the agreement.”

Video of Senator Cantwell’s remarks can be found here.