Florida at a climate crossroads: Can the PROVE IT Act offer a solution?

Florida faces a stark reality: rising sea levels, harsher storms, and warming temperatures due to climate change. You might wonder how Florida’s manufacturing sector can be part of the solution. Easy: by supporting the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency Act (PROVE IT Act), an innovative piece of legislation that could help Florida industries emerge as leaders in carbon efficiency.

Last month, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the PROVE IT Act by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 14-5. Four Republicans broke from party lines to vote in favor of the Act, which Republican co-sponsor Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota has billed an ‘American first’ environmental policy.’

How does it put America first?

By studying the carbon efficiency of major U.S. industries, most of which are cleaner than global competitors. Yet those dirtier manufacturers compete with superior U.S. products on the global market. By collecting this important emissions data, the U.S. sets the stage for carbon pollution fees, which would require dirtier trading partners to either pay us to level the playing field between our varying manufacturing standards or to clean up their act.

The PROVE IT Act presents a golden opportunity for Florida to demonstrate its leadership in combating climate change. By adopting an “America-first” approach to manufacturing, the state can not only safeguard its own future but also set a powerful example for other nations seeking to balance economic prosperity with environmental responsibility. Florida is more than sunshine, Mickey Mouse, and oranges, in fact, it is home to an array of diverse industries as well as a growing manufacturing sector such as transportation equipment manufacturing, fabricated metal product manufacturing, wood product manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing to name a few. These industries are likely to be cleaner than their global competitors and thus would have a leg up, which would benefit Florida jobs and the local economy.

Beyond assisting Florida manufacturers, the PROVE IT Act positions America as a global leader in climate action by exposing unfair practices of dirtier competitors, promoting transparency, and driving global innovation. By highlighting the lack of environmental standards and practices in other countries, the Act will set the stage for an eventual carbon border adjustment mechanism, the policy that will spark other nations to adopt stricter regulations on par with the U.S., encouraging fair competition based on environmental responsibility.

The PROVE IT Act is the first step in a series of trade policies that would boost Florida’s manufacturing sector, empower American businesses to compete on a level playing field, and position the United States as a global leader in climate solutions. By embracing transparency and data-driven decision making, Florida can not only protect its environment but also thrive in the emerging green economy. The PROVE IT Act offers a unique opportunity to put both Florida and America first on the path to a sustainable future. Now let’s hope Congress can get it passed!

Originally written for and published on The Invading Sea.