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NEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters) – The US might consider leaving the International Energy Agency if there is no alignment on climate issues, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday.
“We’re either going to reform the IEA or we will leave the IEA. My strong preference is that we reform it,” Wright said at an event in New York hosted by the Wall Street Journal.
The Paris-based IEA has provided research and data to industrialized governments for more than half a century to help guide policy around energy security, supply and investment. The United States provides around a quarter of the group’s funding.
In recent years, the organization had broadened its focus beyond oil and gas supply to include clean energy, as member governments sought input on meeting their goals under the Paris climate agreement and transition away from fossil fuel reliance.
But the Trump administration and the oil industry have criticized the IEA’s attention on climate change and have been calling on the agency to focus primarily on oil, gas and coal.
Wright said he wants to reform the agency to “focus on its core mission – and deliver it well and thoughtfully – not scenarios that are more politically popular.”
Reporting by Nicole Jao and Valerie Volcovici, writing by Timothy Gardner, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Elaine Hardcastle
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