A group of House Republicans might be ready to support forthcoming legislation seen by some as a precursor to an eventual carbon tariff, according to a private email being circulated by the nation’s largest oil lobby.
The list of potential backers, obtained by E&E News, shows how the GOP appetite could be growing around legislation that would seek to leverage the perceived carbon advantage the U.S. enjoys for trade purposes. It is also a demonstration of how advocates, including the American Petroleum Institute, are eager to line up Republican support.
The House bill, to be called the “Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act,” would study and report on the carbon footprint of certain industrial imports and exports. It is expected to be the companion, albeit with some differences, to a Senate bill, S. 1863, with the same name.
The upcoming action in the House comes as some Republican have warmed to the idea of a carbon tariff in recent years, seeing it as a way to protect domestic manufacturing against countries like China that have high greenhouse gas emissions.
