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HOEVEN LEADING EFFORTS TO STOP DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S COSTLY GREEN NEW DEAL MANDATES
Senator Leads All Republican Senators in Calling on DoD Secretary to Drop Proposed Rule, Introduces Legislation to Block Costly Environmental Regulation
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, is leading efforts to stop the Department of Defense (DoD) from imposing a new environmental rule on federal contractors, both large and small, that would drive up costs for our national defense. Hoeven was joined by all Republican senators in pressing for DoD to drop the newly proposed rule requiring burdensome greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting. Additionally, Hoeven introduced legislation with 15 other senators to block the proposed regulation and intends to lead a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to rescind the rule should it be finalized.
In a letter to DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin, the senators strongly oppose the rule and outline 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.
“DoD’s proposed rule on GHG emissions disclosures is self-defeating. 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 As such, it is at odds with the DoD’s mission and should be rescinded immediately,” the 50 senators write. The full text of the letter is available here.
Hoeven also authored the Focus on the Mission Act (S.5269) to block the rule and introduced the bill with the following cosponsors: Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), James Inhofe (R-OK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), James Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and James Lankford (R-OK).
BACKGROUND: 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. Additionally, the rule would 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.
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