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Scalise, McKinley Introduce Resolution Condemning a Carbon Tax

May 17, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-W. Va.) today re-introduced their resolution to condemn a carbon tax – a resolution that has been introduced every Congress since 2013. A carbon tax would be destructive for American families and small businesses and reverse progress made towards achieving American energy and economic prosperity.

Congressmen Scalise and McKinley made the following statements upon introduction of the resolution. Full text of the resolution can be found here.

Republican Whip Steve Scalise:

"Since taking office, President Biden has made clear his intentions to destroy American energy dominance and impose job-killing tax hikes on American families and small businesses. Speaker Pelosi's liberal lieutenants continue to threaten the imposition of a devastating carbon tax, which would increase the cost of everything from electricity and gasoline to food and everyday household products that hard-working families buy. With the reintroduction of my anti-carbon tax resolution with Congressman McKinley, all members of Congress will have the opportunity to be on record opposing a costly, job-killing carbon tax that would devastate families and jeopardize America's energy security."

Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E.:

"Imposing a carbon tax would be devastating to our nation's economy and hurt American families. It is a regressive tax that would disproportionately impact working families, raising the price of gas, electricity and virtually every consumer product. Our national energy policy should embrace the use of all our resources and include an innovation-focused approach to reducing emissions. We need to stand against the extreme policies being pushed by the Biden Administration and Speaker Pelosi and speak out for American energy security."

Key Stakeholder Groups Supporting the Resolution:

"Americans for Tax Reform applauds today's re-introduction of the Scalise-McKinley anti-carbon tax resolution. A carbon tax is a gas tax on steroids that would kill hundreds of thousands of jobs and raise energy costs across the board. A carbon tax would make it more expensive for Americans to fill up their cars, pay their utility bills, and shop at the grocery store. Congress should focus on reducing energy costs for American families, not adding to their burden. The decision to introduce this resolution on Tax Day signals that Republican leadership is rightly committed to protecting affordable energy for American families and that the GOP will stand between taxpayers and a middle-class tax hike, regardless of how Democrats dress it up." Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

"The American Farm Bureau Federation strongly supports the Scalise-McKinley resolution expressing congressional disapproval of a carbon tax. Agriculture is an energy-intensive sector, and a carbon tax levied on farmers and ranchers would be devastating. There is a better approach to addressing climate issues and we've offered recommendations to do just that. This resolution says ‘no' to the wrong approach and we look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to find solutions that benefit the environment, our rural communities and businesses."Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation

"A carbon tax is nothing more than virtue signaling by privileged elites who will shirk off the costs to the average American through higher energy bills, transportation costs, and reduced wages. Whip Scalise's resolution exposes a carbon tax for what it is: a tax hike on hardworking Americans."Garrett Bess, Vice President, Heritage Action

"Americans for Prosperity wholeheartedly supports the Scalise-McKinley resolution opposing a carbon tax. We all want a cleaner environment, but the best way to get there is with bottom-up innovation, not top-down regulation that hasn't worked and leaves everyone worse off. This resolution is a critical tool for legislative accountability, including for the Biden administration's unilateral attempts to adopt de facto carbon taxes, including ‘clean' electricity standards, tax hikes to redistribute money to politically-preferred technologies like electric vehicles, and heavy-handed EPA mandates on the manufacturing, power, transportation, agriculture, and oil and gas sectors. These top-down policies have a dismal environmental track record and will only exacerbate energy poverty, resulting in double-digit increases in energy prices and the loss of millions of good-paying jobs. These efforts will also run roughshod over state sovereignty, undermine electric reliability, and pick winners and losers without regard to consumer preferences."Brent Wm. Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity

"CEI encourages all Members of the House to co-sponsor the Scalise-McKinley resolution opposing CO2 taxes. Abundant, affordable energy is one of the main foundations of American prosperity. Taxing CO2 emissions from coal, oil, and natural gas, which together provide 80% of America's energy, will raise not only electric rates and gasoline prices; all goods and services that use energy will become more expensive. And higher energy costs will hurt Americans who can least afford it the most." – Myron Ebell, Director, Center for Energy and Environment, Competitive Enterprise Institute

"Louisiana is witnessing first hand the damage that not having access to reliable and affordable energy can cause. A carbon tax would unnecessarily harm the people and businesses of Louisiana without addressing the coastal issues the state faces."Daniel Erspamer, CEO, Pelican Institute

"Our nation's economy is ready to rebound and grow now that the coronavirus is being brought under control. But President Biden's destructive polices on our nation's energy supply like shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline, pausing new natural gas and oil leases on public lands and offshore, and reimposing a moratorium on coal mining on federal lands is driving up energy costs and inflation. Adding a carbon tax will drive the final dagger into the heart of what was a robust economy just prior to the pandemic and will be particularly harmful to lower- and middle-income Americans."Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

"Independent Women's Voice fully supports Representative Scalise's resolution condemning a carbon tax. A carbon tax would increase energy prices for Americans and make it harder to afford everyday essentials. IWV thanks Congressman Scalise for his leadership on this issue and urges all Members of Congress to join him in support."Carrie Lukas, Vice President, Independent Women

"Inflation is already a significant problem for Americans, a carbon tax will hit consumers with higher costs for food and energy. There is never a good time to push higher prices on consumers and the poor and elderly will be hit the hardest. It is time for Congress to draw a line in the sand and oppose a carbon tax by any name."Bette Grande, CEO, Roughrider Policy Center

"The Rio Grande Foundation stands opposed to a carbon tax. While some free market advocates believe it would be an economically-beneficial approach to fighting climate change, the fact is that such a tax would wind up being imposed on top of all the other burdensome taxes Americans must pay. A new carbon tax would ALSO have profoundly negative impacts on New Mexico's economy which is the 3rd largest producer of oil and remains heavily-reliant on the Industry."Paul Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation

"Carbon taxes are a bad solution for the wrong problem. They won't help the environment, but they will increase the cost of energy — which means increasing the cost of everything we do. Instead, Congress should unleash the power of the free market and human creativity to improve lives and maintain America's global leadership in environmental quality."Hon. Jason Isaac, Director, Life:Powered, Texas Public Policy Foundation

Issues:Energy