Prove clean products

As a resident and voter in Arkansas, I want to express my appreciation for Sen. John Boozman’s co-sponsorship of the bipartisan PROVE IT Act.

We know that American industry is among the cleanest in the world, and yet higher-polluting countries have lower environmental standards, letting them turn out cheaper energy and goods. Americans have seen manufacturers shutter their operations at home because products can be made cheaper overseas. It’s time to right this wrong and prioritize American workers by collating the relative carbon-lite standards of our homegrown manufacturing. The original sponsors of the PROVE IT Act Sens. Kevin Cramer and Chris Coons have stated, the PROVE IT Act is a common-sense effort to “bridge the gap between what we know and what we can prove.”

Why is it especially important now to quantify that U.S. manufacturing is some of the cleanest in the world? The EU and the U.K. plan to penalize high-polluting countries that undercut their domestic manufacturers with cheaper, carbon-heavy products. This should work to our advantage as we know our products are cleaner, but will our manufacturing excellence be calculated appropriately and rewarded fairly? We cannot be passive as our trading partners move forward with policies that could disadvantage our exports. When the PROVE IT Act is passed, we will be collating our own data, so we have a say in calculating the carbon efficiency of our goods and not merely accepting the estimates of other countries. Senator Boozman is right to want to gather this data and use it to our advantage.

Our lawmakers should be working together to pass sensible legislation that ensures American workers are rewarded for high standards. I am grateful that Senator Boozman wants to prove our excellence and be proud of our example to the world.

LEAH LANE

Fort Smith