A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality from considering, in taking any action, the social cost of carbon, the social cost of methane, the social cost of nitrous oxide, or the social cost of any other greenhouse gas, unless compliant with Office of Management and Budget guidance, and for other purposes.
Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act of 2017
This bill prohibits the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior, the Department of Transportation, and the Council on Environmental Quality from considering the social cost of carbon, methane, nitrous oxide, or greenhouse gas as part of any cost benefit analysis in the rule making process, unless a federal law is enacted authorizing such consideration. They may also consider those social costs if they use an estimate that: (1) complies with the requirements of the "Circular A-4" document of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), (2) uses only the discount rates specified in that document, (3) considers only the domestic costs and benefits of the activity, and (4) has been reviewed by the OMB for compliance with the circular A-4 document and consistency across federal agencies.
The EPA must report on the number of proposed and final rulemakings, guidance documents, and agency actions since January 2009 that use those social costs, including as part of any cost benefit analysis required under Executive Order 12866 or other relevant authority.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 115-999, Part I.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
checking server…
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line