WASHINGTON – Vice President Mike Pence won’t say whether climate change is a threat to the United States.
On Sunday the vice president sat down with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Tapper pointed to an assessment made by the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats in January that said climate change was “likely to fuel competition for resources, economic distress and social discontent through 2019 and beyond.”
Tapper also noted how the Trump administration this week rolled back Obama-era regulations on coal.
Tapper asked the vice president if he thought a “human-induced climate emergency” was a threat to the United States.
“Well, what I will tell you is that we’ll always follow the science on that in this administration,” Pence replied.
“The science says it is,” Tapper shot back.
Pence said that President Obama’s Clean Power Plan “was hamstringing energy in this country” and “raising the cost of the utility rates for working families.”
Tapper again asked the vice president if he thought it was a threat.
Pence just continued with what he had been saying, adding that nations like China and India haven’t pulled their weight.
“The truth of the matter is with the advent of natural gas, with the natural gas explosion that’s developing, with clean coal technology we’re seeing a significant reduction of carbon emissions all across the country,” Pence said.
Tapper, then again, asked Pence if he thought climate change was a threat.
“I think the answer to that is going to be based upon the science,” Pence answered.
When Tapper pointed out that a majority of scientists say climate change is a threat, the vice president cast doubt on that assessment.
“Well, there’s many in the science that,” he began.
Tapper pointed to Coats and scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“They all say it’s a threat,” the CNN anchor said. “But you won’t for some reason.”
Pence used the opportunity to mock Democratic presidential candidates who are supportive of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed Green New Deal.
“I think we’re making great progress reducing carbon emissions,” Pence went on. “America has the cleanest air and water in the world.”
Tapper stopped Pence.
“That’s not true,” the journalist said. “We don’t have the cleanest air and water in the world.”
“You can get back to me with some statistics that show it,” Tapper added.
Pence continued to insist the US was making progress on cutting emissions despite the administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement and its cutting of environmental regulations.
“The answer is not to raise the utility rate of millions of utility ratepayers across the country,” Pence said.