Several business groups and professional societies say they are disappointed with President Donald Trump's announcement Thursday that the U.S. would pull out of the Paris climate agreement, but even those groups that generally agree with the administration's energy priorities were mostly silent about the decision.

In an address at the White House, Trump argued that complying with the nonbinding agreement would cost the U.S. potentially millions of jobs. Only two other countries—Syria and Nicaragua—have not joined the agreement.

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity—which represents coal producers—was one of the few associations to publicly celebrate Trump's decision with a statement on its website. ACCCE CEO Paul Bailey said Trump was undoing the potential damage inflicted by President Barack Obama's decision to enter into the agreement.

"Meeting President Obama's goal would have led to more regulations, higher energy prices, and dependence on less reliable energy sources," Bailey said.

Other industry groups that had previously criticized either the agreement or Obama-era climate change policies mostly remained quiet about Trump's announcement.

The American Petroleum Institute told Reuters news agency it has not taken a position on the accord. The National Mining Association and American Fuel & Petrochemicals Manufacturers declined to comment. (NMA's board of directors previously voted to urge the administration to pull out of the agreement, reportedly at the urging of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. The association denies Pruitt made any such request.) http://politi.co/2po7UqX

The National Association of Manufacturers issued a statement to reporters saying that while it supported the agreement in spirit, "certain elements of this deal were not equitable for U.S. manufacturers." http://read.bi/2s1UqmP

Organizations representing scientists were quick to criticize the announcement. The American Geophysical Union—which includes climate scientists among its membership—said the administration made "a troubling, shortsighted decision" that "signaled to the world that it does not value the urgency with which we must act on climate change."

"Far from being a poor investment for the United States, the Paris Agreement represents the global community's best chance of limiting both the risks and costs to the global economy from climate change," AGU CEO Christine McEntee said.

American Chemical Society CEO Thomas Connelly said climate change represents "real and current threat to our economy, health and welfare."

"America should continue to take the lead in addressing global greenhouse gas emissions and become a leader in sustainable energy production and technology," he said.

American Meteorological Society Executive Director Keith Seitter said that while Trump emphasized the domestic economic risks of complying with the accord, he "plainly ignores so many other components of the risk calculus that went into the treaty in the first place."

The consequences of the withdrawal for domestic renewable energy producers are uncertain, but many states and business already have policies in place promoting green energy. Perhaps as a result, the American Wind Energy Association took somewhat neutral tone in its reaction to the announcement. The group noted that wind energy is "growing and hiring nine times faster than the average industry by providing affordable, reliable and clean electricity."

"Current policies will keep wind power growing rapidly through 2020, and we see many positive trends that will continue to drive demand," AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said.

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