The official U.S. delegation had been in stealth mode throughout the global climate conference known as COP23, shutting reporters — and most everyone else — out of its office and keeping its calendar remarkably empty. The Trump administration’s delegates are staying in a remote location far from both the city center and the conference venue, fueling suspicion that they have intentionally been kept separate from the tight-knit UN climate community.

White House energy policy adviser George David Banks chose not to duck reporters’ difficult questions:

I understand the importance and the prioritization of climate mitigation for a lot of people. For us, it’s a priority but the administration has more pressing problems when it comes to economic growth and energy security.

In our opinion, there is no politically viable pathway for the climate mitigation that you would hear about in this venue.

Over the past several years, the U.S. has been a leader in reducing the emissions, but that has come largely as a result of market forces, fuel switching from coal to natural gas, and efficiency gains.

Read the full transcript of David Banks statements on U.S. climate policy by Lou Del Bello at ImpactAlpha