Foreign Carbon Fee Introduced on Capitol Hill

In Washington, D.C., there’s disagreement among conservatives regarding a bill that would impose a tariff on carbon-intensive imported goods. Introduced by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the Foreign Pollution Fee Act would impose tariffs on 16 categories of goods produced in countries with higher CO2 emissions than the U.S.

Cassidy says the new fee would level the playing field by punishing China and other countries that “freely pollute and export.” The bill would boost America’s low-emission manufacturing, Cassidy says.

On the opposing side, the Cato Institute, a free-market think tank, has published this summary of the legislation, calling it the “Cassidy Carbon Tax.” 11/20/2023