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U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Pro-Business Case for Staying in Paris

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Thursday, June 1, 2017   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Leaving the Paris climate agreement would put the United States behind, according to some energy market and job creation watchers.

Media leaks from the White House say President Donald Trump is leaning toward leaving the climate accord, but the administration has not confirmed this.

Han Chen, an international climate advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says internationally and here in the U.S., the fastest job growth is in clean energy.

She says energy efficiency and renewable energy sources have added 3 million new jobs.

"These are the fastest growing sectors,” she maintains. “It's not in traditional fossil fuels, so if we want to grow the economy in West Virginia and in other states, we've seen that clean energy jobs have been the strongest driver of that growth."

The coal industry and its political allies argue that the climate agreement is part of what they describe as a war on coal. But Chen says 1,100 U.S. companies have publicly declared that they favor the Paris accord.

She says these companies include some of the largest, most profitable and most forward-looking companies in the world.

"The revenues for these companies are over $3 trillion,” she points out. “They support Paris because it will be better for their risk from possible climate catastrophes. It's better for them in terms of job growth, and so on."

Critics of the Paris agreement argue that if the U.S. shifts away from fossil fuels, developing nations such as India and China would more than make up the difference by burning more coal.

Chen counters that's no longer accurate. She says India and China are shifting rapidly to renewable energy, and two of the world's largest economies are working hard to move workers out of the fossil fuel industries.

"Germany and in China, what they're doing is offering transition for folks who are working in traditional fossil fuels – and, in fact, China now leads the world in solar and wind," she points out.

Trump has tweeted that he will make a decision on the Paris agreement Thursday,



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