Transparency is a word often mentioned in discussions around advancements made regarding sustainability. It is seen as paramount to quantify how well a business or organization is tracking its progress with eco-friendly practices.
In keeping with this goal, a bipartisan bill has been making its way through the legislature. The Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity Act, or PROVE IT Act, directs the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to research and report the average emissions intensity of several products made in the U.S. and other economies with large shares of the global market.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management
The PROVE IT Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Chris Coons and Kevin Cramer and 11 additional co-sponsors in June 2023 and in the House by Representatives Scott Peters and John Curtis (now Utah’s freshman Senator) and 19 additional co-sponsors last year in July.
“We should embrace the fact that American industries produce cleaner and with better standards than anywhere else in the world,” Curtis said in a statement. “This bill is not just about proving our energy dominance; it’s about leveling the playing field in international competition.”
Photo Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy
Emissions intensity refers to the quantity of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted from manufacturing a single unit of product. According to the Congressional Budget Office, an industry’s emissions intensity measurement can determine how policies aimed at lowering GHGs affect that sector.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) says calculating the carbon intensity of goods can “demonstrate their emissions profiles and increase American competitiveness in domestic and global markets.”
“WRI welcomes the contribution these bills make to help companies demonstrate their transformational leadership for high-quality, low-carbon industrial products,” Angela Anderson, U.S. director of Industrial Decarbonization and Carbon Removal at the World Resources Institute, said in a statement.
The bill covers products in three areas: energy-intensive products, fuels, and goods needed for decarbonization. The targeted products include:
- Aluminum
- Biofuels
- Cement
- Crude oil
- Fertilizers
- Glass
- Hydrogen
- Iron and steel
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Natural gas
- Petrochemicals and plastics
- Pulp and paper
- Refined petroleum products
- Refined strategic and critical minerals (e.g., copper, cobalt, etc.)
- Solar cells and panels
- Uranium
- Wind turbines
“The bipartisan PROVE IT Act will provide reliable data that are needed to quantify the climate benefits of the United States’ investments in cleaner, more efficient manufacturing practices,” Coons said in a 2023 statement.
Cramer also sees the benefit of reliable data. “The United States lives up to the highest environmental standards in the world, and the PROVE IT Act is an opportunity to bolster our advantage by backing it up with verifiable data,” he said.
Photo Courtesy EPA
To complete the studies, the Energy Department must collaborate with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Secretaries of State, Agriculture, and Homeland Security.
The legislation requires the DOE to complete its first study within two years of enactment and update the data every five years.
According to the Climate Leadership Council, when the agency can’t determine the average emissions intensity of production in a country “with reasonable accuracy, it will publish its best estimate alongside an assessment of existing gaps in the emissions data.”
Photo Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy
