Believe it or not, it’s been more than a year and a half since the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest green energy package in world history. Time flies when you’re making progress.

Although some initiatives of this package are off to a slow start, independent studies show us that we are roughly on track to hit key targets, including new electric vehicle sales. However, the IRA was never meant as a fix-all. We still have a long way to go in this fight, although we are finally heading in the right direction. Fortunately, the law offered us some breathing room to think about our next steps.

The PROVE IT Act (S. 1863), which Sen. Angus King co-sponsors, would offer some guidance for our next steps to tackle the climate crisis. If passed, the bill will measure the carbon intensity of certain goods, help the U.S. negotiate effectively with our trading partners, and build on bipartisan momentum to act on global carbon pollution.

While this may seem like a small step, we can’t expect lawmakers to solve this unprecedented situation on time without all of the facts. When we need to transition away from carbon-intense practices as quickly as possible, we can’t risk undervaluing, missing, or neglecting important aspects of polluting practices worldwide.

Therefore, I strongly encourage anybody who supports this type of legislation to contact their representatives in Congress and voice their support. We can’t solve this problem without the facts.

Hunter Kissam
Lewiston

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