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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mike Lee asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider withdrawing from the Montreal Protocol, which requires countries to phase out the consumption and production of "ozone-depleting substances."
Attached to the letter addressed to Rubio, Lee wrote on Wednesday afternoon, "America shouldn't tie itself to unscientific environmental treaties that allow China to do whatever it wants. I have asked @SecRubio to withdraw the United States from the Montreal Protocol."
In the letter's text, Lee mentions several concerns over the continued participation of the U.S. in the program.
One particular substance the protocol seeks to decrease is hydrochlorofluorocarbon, which is "essential for everything from refrigerants to fire suppression," Lee wrote.
Lee added that when the treaty was signed in the late 1980s, scientists hadn't yet tried using hydrochlorofluorocarbons for fire suppression.
The second concern Lee touched on is inequality between participating countries. The U.S. has adhered to the treaty, Lee said, but other countries have failed to do the same.
The Montreal Protocol determines what is expected of countries in the program based on whether they are deemed "developing" or "developed." Developed countries have stricter timelines required to phase out ozone-depleting substances, must contribute financially to help developing countries do the same, and follow stricter regulatory systems to enforce bans on ozone-depleting substances.
Developing countries have delayed timelines to phase out ozone-depleting substances, receive financial and technical assistance, and are allowed more flexibility while transitioning to alternative substances.
China is included in the Montreal Protocol as a developing country. At a Montreal Protocol meeting in 2023, the State Department "proposed the rightful removal of China from the list of developing countries eligible for assistance from the Multilateral Fund," Lee explained.
"As expected, opposition from China and its allies prevented progress on this issue," he said.
Some say the program has helped and will continue to help
Data presented by the U.K.-based nonprofit Our World in Data reported that since the program started in the late 1980s, global emissions have fallen by over 99%.
During the Obama administration, former Secretary of State John Kerry reported that the U.S. has spent over $3 billion "to help lesser-developed countries make the transition out of" ozone-depleting substances.
One X user responded to Lee's post, "While I agree we should step back from CO2 accords, we should keep the Montreal Protocol. The science is solid, and it's actually working. No ozone would be far worse than a warming planet."
