Calculating the future cost of climate change is something every major insurance company and even the United States military is doing, but House Republicans do not want to see the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) solving equations.
House Republicans have passed a bill that would prohibit the EPA from calculating the future cost of carbon emissions during the environmental review process.
Tucked into the bill is language that will prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from considering the social cost of carbon during permitting.
The bill, which passed largely down party lines Friday afternoon, specifically prohibits federal agencies from following draft guidance from the White House Council on Environmental Quality for “consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change” in environmental reviews. Further, under the RAPID Act, any permit request that is not addressed by the agency deadline will be automatically approved.
If the EPA is not allowed to consider the future cost of damage to the environment during the environmental review process, why even have a process?
House Republicans apparently asked themselves the same question and their answer was to include a provision that automatically approves permits.
What could go wrong?
The good news is this will never become law as long as a Democrat occupies the White House.