STATEMENT: Bipartisan and Bicameral PROVE IT Act Promotes Climate Competitiveness of Manufactured Goods
Washington, DC (July 9, 2024) – Today in the U.S. House of Representatives, John Curtis (R-UT-3) and Scott Peters (D-CA-50) introduced the bipartisan “Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act of 2024,” with a total of 19 co-sponsors. It complements the bipartisan Senate version of the PROVE IT Act introduced in August 2023 and passed with bipartisan support by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in January 2024.
The bill would direct the Department of Energy, in coordination with other federal agencies, to study the carbon intensity of certain industrial goods produced in or imported into the U.S. An initial report would be required within two years of the bill’s passage, with updates at least every five years. Calculating the carbon intensity of goods demonstrates their emissions profiles and can increase American competitiveness in domestic and global markets.
Following is a statement by Angela Anderson, U.S. Director of Industrial Decarbonization and Carbon Removal, World Resources Institute:
“This century’s Industrial Revolution is clearly being defined by the environmental competitiveness of manufacturing. The climate is now central to the economy, and supporting American businesses to thrive in this new paradigm is critical.
“As the European Union (EU) begins to implement its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) – one of the most extensive environmental trade policies so far – continued U.S. leadership as a global producer requires highlighting high-quality and low carbon intensity American goods with robust data and transparency.
“The House and Senate versions of the PROVE IT Act exemplify the possibility of bipartisanship when it comes to keeping U.S. goods competitive in a global marketplace increasingly favoring lower carbon products. WRI welcomes the contribution these bills make to help companies demonstrate their transformational leadership for high-quality, low-carbon industrial products.”