WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act. This bipartisan legislation would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a comprehensive study comparing the emissions intensity of certain goods produced in the United States to the emissions of those same goods produced in the other countries. Comprehensive data on product emissions intensity is an important step to addressing climate through trade policy and leveling the playing field for domestic producers and manufacturers who are forced to compete against rivals with little to no standards.
“The United States lives up to the highest environmental standards in the world, and the PROVE IT Act is an opportunity to bolster our advantage by backing it up with verifiable data,” said Senator Cramer. “Americans know and appreciate the stewardship that goes into the energy we produce and the goods we manufacture. Quantifying global data will prove our emissions-intensive goods are cleaner here at home while highlighting the countries who monetize their lax or nonexistent standards.”
“The bipartisan PROVE IT Act will provide reliable data that’s needed to quantify the climate benefits of the United States’ investments in cleaner, more efficient manufacturing practices and to hold nations like China accountable for their emissions-heavy production of goods like steel,” said Senator Coons. “It will level the playing field and ensure our workers and producers are not unjustly penalized for their high environmental standards. Demonstrating our comparative advantage in emissions intensity, working with our allies and partners on data sharing and cooperation, and building on that with future legislation will be a win for the climate, a win for American workers and manufacturers, and a win for global cooperation.”
Supporting stakeholders include the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Action, American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), and the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, among others.
Joining Senators Cramer and Coons are Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).
After the study’s publication, DOE is directed to update data every five years. Under the legislation, covered products include 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.
