WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) penned a Letter to the Editor in the Washington Post calling out the Editorial Board for their bias and shortsighted analysis of climate and trade policy. Cassidy, alongside Louisiana Republican leaders and fellow Senate Republicans, has been a thought leader in crafting an American plan to address the nexus between energy, economic development, supply chains, national security, and the environment at the expense of China and Russia.
“Democrats don’t have a monopoly on environmental policy. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act, which I co-introduced with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), proposes a fee on certain imported industrial and energy products based on their emissions intensity relative to similar domestically produced goods. Former U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who served multiple Republican administrations, has been a consistent champion in leveraging U.S. trade policy to make China pay for its pollution,” wrote Dr. Cassidy.
The Foreign Pollution Fee Act utilizes the U.S. advantage in manufacturing and energy production with less greenhouse gas emissions than our adversaries. In doing so, it expands American production and increases domestic jobs while discouraging the import of more pollution-intensive, foreign-produced goods. The Foreign Pollution Fee also encourages trade between like-minded partners, which ensures growth opportunities for U.S. manufacturers and secures global supply chains while isolating China.
“The Foreign Pollution Fee Act not only would reduce global emissions but also would stimulate job creation, foster innovation, strengthen global supply-chain security and promote fair competition for U.S. companies on the international stage — all without imposing a domestic carbon tax, which I adamantly oppose,” continued Dr. Cassidy.
“Given the myth-busting above, it is essential to avoid needlessly politicizing the issue by maligning Republicans. Such actions undermine the potential for cooperation in Congress to develop meaningful policies that advance America’s national economic interests and hold the world’s largest polluters accountable,” concluded Dr. Cassidy.
Read the full letter here or below.
Don’t Let Politics Stand in the Way of Good Environmental Policy
Regarding the April 14 editorial, “A ‘climate club’ could get China to clean up faster”:
Why doesn’t the Editorial Board want to hold heavy polluters such as China accountable without letting politics get in the way? There are two major misconceptions in the piece.
First and foremost, the board assumes that the World Trade Organization requires a domestic carbon tax for compliance. The claim that a carbon price limited to imports would face insurmountable legal challenges and provoke retaliatory actions remains untested and relies on narrow interpretations of WTO policy. Analyses conducted by the Climate Leadership Council suggest that a climate and trade policy without a domestic carbon tax would comply with WTO regulations by leveraging existing domestic environmental regulations and addressing international emergencies.
Second, the board assumes Republicans resist engaging on climate even if it’s through market-based mechanisms and trade policy. Democrats don’t have a monopoly on environmental policy. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act, which I co-introduced with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), proposes a fee on certain imported industrial and energy products based on their emissions intensity relative to similar domestically produced goods. Former U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who served multiple Republican administrations, has been a consistent champion in leveraging U.S. trade policy to make China pay for its pollution.
The Foreign Pollution Fee Act not only would reduce global emissions but also would stimulate job creation, foster innovation, strengthen global supply-chain security and promote fair competition for U.S. companies on the international stage — all without imposing a domestic carbon tax, which I adamantly oppose.
Given the myth-busting above, it is essential to avoid needlessly politicizing the issue by maligning Republicans. Such actions undermine the potential for cooperation in Congress to develop meaningful policies that advance America’s national economic interests and hold the world’s largest polluters accountable.
Background
Cassidy penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network with State Senator Caleb Kleinpeter (R-Port Allen), and State Representative Blake Miguez (R-Erath) discussing the geopolitical threats China poses to U.S. global standing. He also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his foreign pollution fee, noting the competitive advantage China receives from intentionally ignoring environmental standards.
Last Spring, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue a climate and trade policy. Learn more here.
Last Congress, Cassidy released a landmark energy & climate policy outline in response to the Biden administration’s assault on domestic energy. The outline details how we can successfully reset U.S. energy policy, including Cassidy’s plan for an Energy Operation Warp Speed to cut permitting red tape and unleash domestic energy and manufacturing. In support of this complete vision and in addition to the Foreign Pollution Fee, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposition to a domestic carbon tax and introduced the first comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bill. He also pushed back on disastrous proposals from the Biden administration to limit development in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) with the introduction of the WHALE Act and the Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.
Since the publication of the Energy Operation Warp Speed outline, Cassidy cosponsored two comprehensive permitting and environmental review reform proposals fitting the Warp Speed vision: the Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act and the Spur Permitting of Underdeveloped Resources (SPUR) Act. These bills substantively reform the nation’s broken permitting and environmental review processes that delay key energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects across America.
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