Took 2 years but Rep. Lucas sees national security energy issue resolved

 

Nearly two years after Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas and others on a House Committee complained how a proposed Biden administration regulation to outsource emissions requirements to a controversial foreign entity could create national security issues, the regulation was killed this week by President Donald Trump.

It was in March 2023 when Rep. Lucas, as chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology committee complained the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council would have required government contractors to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and develop emission reduction targets to be validated and approved by an international non-governmental organization known as the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).

““The Science Committee has grave concerns that these requirements would have detrimental consequences for our national security and mission readiness,” wrote Lucas and others on the committee.

“It’s unclear why government agencies are unable to independently validate emission reduction targets for their own contractors and would instead delegate such responsibilities to an international entity outside of our government’s supervision and whose loyalties and mission do not align with those of the United States. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR) must explain its reasoning for inserting this requirement into the proposed rule and for arbitrarily selecting SBTi to both set emission reduction targets and validate compliance with those same targets.”

When Donald Trump was sworn into his second term as President, one of his orders was the withdrawal of the problematic Biden Administration proposed regulation to outsource emissions requirements to a controversial foreign entity.

Lucas is no longer on the committee and new chairman Brian Babin of Texas celebrated Trump’s move. A committee investigation found further conflicts of interest at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as well as inappropriate attempts by Biden Administration employees to influence the development of the proposed rule, and a pattern of misleading Members of Congress on the specifics of the rulemaking process.

“From day one, this proposed rule put Green New Deal priorities above our national security and ability to procure critical products from American contractors,” Babin said. “The oversight conducted by this committee, under the leadership of former Chairman Frank Lucas, uncovered blatant favoritism, attempts to subvert the rulemaking process, and a pattern of providing misleading information to Members of Congress. By uncovering and calling attention to the significant shortcomings of this rulemaking, we demanded transparent government and an ethical procurement process. The withdrawal of this proposed regulation is a win for American interests.”