Bipartisan Bill on Greenhouse Gas Data Introduced in House
A bipartisan bill that would direct the Department of Energy to identify the emissions intensity of about 20 sectors, including steel, aluminum, cement, plastics, oil, natural gas and hydrogen, was introduced in the House of Representatives July 9.
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The bill, called the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency Act, or Prove It Act, is a companion bill to a bipartisan Senate bill that was passed out of the Senate Environment Committee.
Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., are the lead sponsors; nine other Republicans and 10 other Democrats are also sponsoring the bill.
The Energy Department would also be tasked with comparing domestic industry emissions levels with the levels of other countries that produce these goods.
While the bill aims to assemble data that could help American exporters faced with carbon border adjustment taxes in Europe, Canada or other countries, it explicitly says the data cannot be used to impose a domestic carbon tax or fee.
"This legislation will help American businesses compete globally, strengthen our trade relationships, and provide our allies with a reliable energy partner," Curtis said in the press release announcing the bill.
Peters said, "Our PROVE IT Act will provide the data to show the benefits of America’s high environmental standards while holding nations like China accountable for their emissions-intensive practices. I am excited to be leading this effort with Representative Curtis, which shows that even in an age of increasing partisanship, we can still work together to advance strong and common-sense environmental and energy policies."
Domestic solar panel, steel interests and cement interests and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce support the bill.
The study of emissions would cover: aluminum, articles of aluminum, articles of cement, articles of iron and steel, articles of plastic, biofuels, cement, crude oil, fertilizer, glass, hydrogen, iron and steel, lithium-ion batteries, natural gas, petrochemicals, plastics, pulp and paper, refined strategic and critical minerals, refined petroleum products, solar cells and panels, uranium, and wind turbines.
American Iron and Steel Institute CEO Kevin Dempsey said, "Trade-distorting policies in many countries continue to contribute to massive global overcapacity in steel -- much of which is from countries that are producing steel that is much more carbon emissions-intensive than American steel, including China, India, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations. We need policies to demonstrate this current imbalance in emissions and hold the high emitting producers from overseas accountable for their much higher carbon emissions. The PROVE IT Act would do as its name implies by creating an official source to verify the superior carbon efficiency of vital American industries, like steel, and give policymakers the data needed to make the case for action."