WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined all 50 Senate Republicans in efforts to stop the Department of Defense (DoD) from imposing a newenvironmental rule on federal contractors, both large and small, that would drive up national defense costs. Senator Tuberville and his colleagues pressed the DoD to drop the newly-proposed rule requiring burdensome greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
“DoD’s proposed rule on GHG emissions disclosures is self-defeating,” wrote all 50 Republican senators.“It undercuts our industrial base, drives up costs and puts environmentalism over national security. As such, it is at odds with the DoD’s mission and should be rescinded immediately.”
The DoD’s proposal would require those receiving more than $7.5 million in federal contracts to provide a detailed accounting of GHG emissions within one year. The rule would also require those receiving more than $50 million in contracts to develop reduction targets within two years. The proposed rule was published in November and the comment period for the rule goes through January 13, 2023, after which a final rule will be formulated.
In the letter to Secretary Austin, Senator Tuberville and his colleagues outlined concerns with the proposal, including the significant regulatory burden in requiring a company to report not only its own emissions but emissions that occur elsewhere, increased costs resulting in budget inefficiencies at DoD, and the potential use of environmental reports in awarding future contracts.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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