[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1520 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1520
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States should reengage with trading partners, particularly like-minded
Allies with market-based economies and high labor and environmental
standards, to promote trade in environmental goods, services, and
technologies in new or existing bilateral and plurilateral dialogues
with a view to negotiating a new environmental goods agreement with
updated product coverage to broaden United States export opportunities,
support United States jobs, and enhance the environmental contribution
of any new trade agreement.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 14, 2022
Mr. Brady (for himself, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Kelly
of Pennsylvania, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Kind, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Sewell, and Mr.
LaHood) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
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RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States should reengage with trading partners, particularly like-minded
Allies with market-based economies and high labor and environmental
standards, to promote trade in environmental goods, services, and
technologies in new or existing bilateral and plurilateral dialogues
with a view to negotiating a new environmental goods agreement with
updated product coverage to broaden United States export opportunities,
support United States jobs, and enhance the environmental contribution
of any new trade agreement.
Whereas innovation and access to affordable new environmental goods and
technologies are key to addressing climate change while preserving
economic opportunity and energy security for countries in all stages of
economic development;
Whereas goods manufactured in the United States are 40 percent more carbon-
efficient than the world average;
Whereas the United States is currently responsible for approximately 12 percent
of global greenhouse gas emissions;
Whereas the United States is a global innovation leader, including with respect
to cutting-edge technologies that reduce carbon emissions, improve
energy efficiency, benefit the environment, and make workers safer and
more productive;
Whereas a structural imbalance exists in the global environmental goods trade as
United States environmental goods are subject to higher tariffs (in some
cases more than 40 percent) in some markets, including India and China,
while the United States imposes very low tariffs on imported
environmental goods;
Whereas China is a net exporter of environmental goods and Chinese manufacturers
enjoy significantly greater global market share than United States
producers despite very low levels of Chinese consumption of
environmental goods;
Whereas high tariffs imposed on environmental goods by foreign countries
undermine global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieve
gains in energy efficiency, advance resilient communities, and improve
air and water quality, while disadvantaging United States manufacturers
and workers that make such products by reducing export opportunities;
Whereas eliminating foreign tariffs on such products would enable the United
States and other countries to more easily export high-quality,
affordable environmental products to aid in global efforts to combat
climate change, reduce pollution, and improve energy efficiency, while
also leveling the playing field for United States manufacturers and
supporting green jobs;
Whereas the United States environmental services industry also is a global
leader, and improved market access for United States environmental goods
also can create more opportunities around the world for United States
environmental service providers;
Whereas, on July 8, 2014, the United States and other member countries of the
World Trade Organization, accounting for nearly 90 percent of global
exports in environmental goods, initiated negotiations to establish an
Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) to eliminate tariffs on a number of
important environmental products, including wind turbines, solar panels,
water treatment filters, solar water heaters, and air pollution
controls;
Whereas the United States played a leading role in negotiations to establish the
EGA while such negotiations were active from 2014 to 2016;
Whereas United States innovators have developed new clean energy products since
2016, and increased global sales of these products can increase
opportunities for United States workers while reducing carbon emissions
and improving energy efficiency;
Whereas a high-standard environmental goods agreement would not undermine
enforcement of United States laws and regulations, including those that
respond to unfair trade practices and block imports produced by forced
labor; and
Whereas initiatives to facilitate trade in environmental goods, services, and
technologies should be part of a larger set of efforts aimed at
addressing climate change, boosting innovation, and strengthening the
United States economy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) the Office of the United States Trade Representative
should prepare a report identifying--
(A) goods produced by United States industry that
would have a further material positive impact on the
environment if trade in those goods increased;
(B) the United States share of global exports of
those goods; and
(C) the market access barriers that prevent or
inhibit the further export of United States
environmental goods around the world;
(2) the United States should work with trading partners,
particularly like-minded allies with market-based economies and
high labor and environmental standards, in new and existing
bilateral and plurilateral dialogues to--
(A) update the list of 303 environmental products
that was generated at the conclusion of 19
Environmental Goods Agreement negotiating rounds to
reflect technological developments; and
(B) prioritize efforts to facilitate trade in
environmental goods to meet each country's
environmental and climate goals;
(3) the United States should deepen engagement with the
European Union and other like-minded allies on national
security grounds to facilitate increased trade in environmental
goods and technologies to incentivize their further deployment
with a view to reducing energy dependence on Russia; and
(4) the United States should seek to build on the
initiatives described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) by
launching negotiations to complete and implement an ambitious
new environmental goods agreement with updated product
coverage, while also urging United States trading partners to
take immediate action to remove barriers to environmental goods
imports from the United States.
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