BY: CHARLES A. MASON [email protected] –

U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie on Wednesday questioned the legality of the Paris global climate agreement negotiated by President Barack Obama.

“I’m not sure it is legal,” Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, said. Obama didn’t bring a treaty back to the U.S. Senate for ratification, he said.

Guthrie made the comments about the Paris climate accord following an address to the Noon Bowling Green Rotary Club at the Bowling Green Country Club. Guthrie’s comments to the Rotary focused on the Affordable Care Act, North Atlantic Treaty Organization military support by countries other than America, and if he thought the Russians interfered with the fall 2016 U.S. election.

“If it looks like a treaty and acts like a treaty …” the U.S. Senate should have had the opportunity to ratify it, the 2nd District congressman reasoned about the Paris climate pact following his Rotary remarks.

The accord reduces carbon emissions. According to The Associated Press, nearly 200 nations including the U.S., agreed in 2015 to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change. The AP said a U.S. withdrawal would leave the United States aligned only with Russia among the world’s industrialized economies in rejecting action to combat climate change.

“Climate change is undeniable,” the United Nations’ main Twitter page quoted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to the AP. “Climate change is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable,” the UN Twitter message went on to say, the AP reported.

President Donald Trump has indicated he wants the United States to exit the accord negotiated by Obama with the nations of the world. The president has also been criticized by world leaders for not adopting the Paris climate accord.

In another matter, Guthrie told the Rotarians that he agrees with Trump that the member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should be held accountable for the agreement that they made in 2008 to pay up to 2 percent of their gross domestic product toward NATO.

“That means spending money on weapons, too,” said Guthrie.

NATO was formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty. NATO is a security alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe which has the core mission “that an attack against one ally is an attack against all,” according to the NATO website.

Turning to the controversial Affordable Care Act, Guthrie explained the Congressional Budget Office scoring counts 14 million young people who don’t plan to purchase any health insurance among estimates of millions of people expected to lose health coverage under the U.S. House of Representatives-passed legislation to reform the ACA. The legislation now awaits passage in the U.S. Senate.

Guthrie said the House measure keeps pre-existing conditions, keeps individuals staying on their parents’ insurance until they are 26 and mandates health insurance companies can’t cap pay-outs for coverage of patient health care costs.

Doing nothing, Guthrie said, allows the health care system to break down. Already, only one insurance company in several Kentucky counties will provide coverage. Guthrie said the U.S. House decided not to wait until the system breaks down.

“If a state chooses a waiver and you have not had continuing coverage, the state can create a high-risk pool (and put you in it),” Guthrie said.

In comments about the Russia-U.S. election story, Guthrie said there is no evidence Russia interfered with the process of the U.S. election.

As to collusion by the Trump administration with Russia, Guthrie said, “There’s no evidence that I have seen.”

The independent special prosecutor is moving forward to investigate the allegations.

“Let the facts go where they go,” the congressman said.