After a House Republican announced his plan to introduce a tax on carbon emissions next week, the House passed a non-binding measure Thursday denouncing the legislation, in a mainly symbolic move.
Representative Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida), who voted in support of an anti-carbon tax resolution in 2016, is now proposing legislation that would target a significant contributor to climate change. According to a draft obtained by E&E News, Curbelo’s bill calls for replacing the federal gas tax with a $23-per-ton tax on carbon emissions from oil refineries, coal mines, and gas processing plants.
The House resolution claims that the tax “would be detrimental to American families and businesses, and is not in the best interest of the United States,”the Hill reports.
While nearly 40 countries have passed legislation putting a price on carbon emissions, the U.S. has never enacted such a tax, and Republican opposition will likely end this effort as well.
