BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and Chris Coons introduced the PROVE IT Act this week, which is a bipartisan legislation that would direct the Department of Energy to do a comprehensive study comparing the emissions intensity of certain goods produced in the United States to the same ones produced in the other countries.

Senator Cramer says that the data gathered from this survey could be an important step in addressing climate change through trade policy, as well as leveling the playing field for domestic producers and manufacturers who are forced to compete against rivals with little to no standards.

He goes on to state that we need to prove that America has some of the most environmentally friendly and lowest carbon-intensive products in the world — especially here in North Dakota.

“We know that a barrel of oil produced in the Bakken has some of the lowest carbon intensity of any barrel of oil produced anywhere in the world,” he claimed. “If the European Union is purchasing oil from, say, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia, they’re actually paying for dirtier oil than if they were purchasing it from North Dakota — but they’re going to charge us a carbon tax. If we prove that our oil is cleaner than somebody else’s, that reduces their price and their tax, and it makes our oil more competitive in the global marketplace.”

Senator Cramer shares that ensuring that our workers and producers are not unjustly penalized for their high environmental standards is the key to solving the problem at hand — and in the future, could lead to the state being seen in even higher regard.

You can learn more about the emissions bill on this page.