All but one House Republican voted Thursday to disapprove of the idea of a carbon tax, indicating that the GOP remains solidly opposed to carbon pricing, a policy favored by many economists and Democrats to address climate change. In total, House lawmakers voted 222 to 196 for a resolution disapproving of a carbon tax. The nonbinding measure, introduced by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), drew the support of 10 Democrats.
More recently, some in the GOP have toyed with the idea of a carbon tariff, which would impose duties on goods from abroad that are associated with high carbon emissions. Several Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee voted earlier this year to advance a bill requiring the Energy Department to publish a study measuring U.S. carbon emissions of manufactured U.S. products versus products manufactured by competitors in China and elsewhere. Republican supporters, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and John Boozman (R-AR), argued the information would give U.S. products a competitive edge and show they are cleaner than products manufactured by China and other adversaries. Still, Thursday’s vote demonstrated entrenched opposition to carbon taxation among Republicans and that the concept faces skepticism from some Democrats. Two Democrats running for Senate voted against the measure: Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who is seeking to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in Texas, and Rep