Ada Recinos, Deputy Press Secretary, ada.recinos@sierraclub.org (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Reps John Curtis (R-UT) and Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act. This bipartisan bill directs the U.S. Department of Energy to undertake a study comparing the emissions intensity of certain goods produced in the United States to goods produced in other countries.
The House version builds upon its Senate counterpart, which was introduced by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), by offering future options to account for the United States’s carbon advantage over more polluting nations and also its adherence to human rights laws and high road labor practices. In addition to Reps. Curtis and Peters, 19 Members of Congress (10 Democrats and nine Republicans) have cosponsored the legislation.
In response, Harry Manin, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Industrial Policy and Trade, released the following statement:
“The PROVE IT Act could be the first step to hold companies and international competitors accountable for polluting communities and abusing workers for profit. This bipartisan bill is an opportunity to protect the US’s ascendence as the clean manufacturing center of the world as stateside investments in transformational steel, aluminum, and cement production skyrocket.”
With the EU instituting a tariff against American exports based on carbon intensity, we must produce our own data to defend homegrown, climate-forward innovation. The PROVE IT Act’s passage could also help to establish trade frameworks that prioritize the health of people and the planet, create good jobs, and punish bad actors that refuse to enforce basic standards.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.