Weekly Briefing: Republican Senators introduce Foreign Pollution Fee Act
April 9, 2025
Yesterday, two Republican Senators introduced a bill called the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. It’s led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
“It is long past time that the polluters of the world, like China and others, pay a price for their policies,” said Sen. Graham in a press release. “This bill calls out the foreign polluters and rewards American businesses who are doing the right thing.”
“There’s a nexus between climate, national security, economic security and energy policy,” Sen. Cassidy said at an event to announce the bill’s introduction. “You can achieve all four. And that’s the goal of this policy.”
The Foreign Pollution Fee Act would apply a fee to some imported products based on their level of greenhouse gas emissions. That means it will encourage other countries to produce goods in a cleaner way, or will drive more business toward American businesses who are already producing goods cleaner than other countries are. Ultimately, this reduces global emissions. As a climate organization, lower emissions are exactly what we want!
“Foreign polluters should be held accountable for the climate impacts of their exports to the U.S., and this bill takes a critical step in ensuring that imported goods reflect their true carbon cost,” said Jennifer Tyler, CCL Vice President of Government Affairs, in a statement. “By requiring robust emissions accounting for foreign imports, the legislation promotes transparency and fairness in global trade.”
The bill comes just weeks after 50 of CCL’s right-of-center volunteers met with Republican offices on Capitol Hill to discuss foreign pollution fees, clean energy tax credits, and more. (Pictured above are CCL staff and volunteers who met with Sen. Graham’s office in early March.)
If you are a constituent of Sen. Cassidy or Sen. Graham, call or write to their office to thank them for introducing this legislation.
We encourage all volunteers to mark your calendars for May 22, when CCL Policy Fellow Danny Richter will give an in-depth training about the Foreign Pollution Fee, why CCL thinks it's a good step forward, and what you can do to help it advance.
Take action this week
If you have a little time: Generate more calls to protect clean energy tax credits. We’re steadily logging more and more calls to Republican offices in support of America’s clean energy tax credits — we’re at 1,823 of our goal of 3,000 calls. If you are represented by at least one Republican in the House or Senate, call them today!
If you are represented by all Democrats, then we could use your help calling CCLers in Republican districts to encourage them to call Congress. Ask your CCL Group Leader how to get connected.
Featured: CCL in E&E News
CCL’s work to defend America’s clean energy tax credits was featured in a new E&E News article this week. You’ll probably hit a paywall when you try to open it, so here are the highlights:
The article, written by journalist Timothy Cama, begins by saying, “One climate advocacy group is drawing on its network of thousands of volunteers around the country as it pushes Congress to preserve energy tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.”
The piece highlights our lobby meetings on Capitol Hill last month and our database detailing the investments and jobs generated thanks to the clean energy tax credits.
“I don’t know of many other grassroots organizations who are nonpartisan, working on both sides and delivering that message now in a way that conservative members can hear it,” Jennifer Tyler, our VP of Government Affairs, told E&E News in the story.
The article even highlighted a few CCLers’ letters to the editor around the country:
“Montana has an opportunity to lead in affordable, reliable energy, but only if Congress keeps the IRA clean-energy tax credits in place,” Laurel Eastman, a Montana state coordinator with CCL, wrote in the Helena Independent Record last month.
“Companies are not going to want to invest in Ohio when effective and beneficial policies can change without logic,” Karen Soubeyrand, a CCL volunteer, wrote in the Toledo Blade, thanking Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) for his support for the IRA credits and calling on Sens. Jon Husted (R) and Bernie Moreno (R) to join him.
The article wraps up by pointing out some of the progress we’re seeing: “The overall work to get Republicans to defend the IRA credits has had some successes. Twenty-one House Republicans signed in March onto a letter backing the credits, picking up a handful of lawmakers following a similar letter last year.”
Spread the word about this piece by sharing CCL’s Facebook post about it.
Join us Saturday for CCL’s April Monthly Meeting
Every month, CCL’s national staff holds a virtual meeting for all chapters and volunteers. Our April meeting is coming up this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. CCL’s monthly meeting is your one-stop shop to:
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Hear the highlights and major news from CCL’s work in the last few weeks -
Learn valuable insights from a guest speaker or featured CCL staffer. For April, we’re hearing from Emmy Award winning meteorologist and climate communicator Kari Hall
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Take action together live during the meeting, and walk through the month’s Action Sheet
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Remember that we’re all in this together! Hundreds of chapters, representing thousands of individual CCLers, tune into the call together every month.
Will you join us on Saturday?
I'll Be There!
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