“American People Should Know” How Energy Bill Impacts Climate – EDFAction
Proposed Amendment Would Provide Transparency about Climate Impacts
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A proposed amendment to the House Energy Bill would help the public understand the Bill’s climate impact.
“The House of Representatives and the American people should know if the House Energy Bill will help or hurt U.S. efforts to address climate change,” said EDFAction president Elizabeth Thompson. “Members of Congress should vote for this amendment to improve transparency. Just as major bills have a budget score, major energy bills should have a climate score. Better information will help us make better decisions.”
The U.S. House of Representatives is now considering H.R. 8, the first major energy bill in eight years. During that time, Congress has failed to pass legislation to tackle climate change.
The energy sector is the largest contributor to climate change-causing pollution (by some estimates energy accounts for 84 percent of U.S. climate pollution). Because an energy bill will have a large impact on the direction of energy investment, Congress and the public should know what the carbon pollution impacts of the bill are before it takes effect.
The proposed Energy Bill does not have that information, but an amendment introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey would address that problem. The amendment states that the bill will not take effect until the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has analyzed and published its carbon impacts. That will allow us to know the Bill’s short and long term climate pollution impacts.
