Capito, GOP hoping to track John Kerry's carbon footprint

Jun. 30—U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., wants to track the carbon footprint of climate czar John Kerry.

In an announcement unrelated to her visit to Bluefield Thursday, Capito said she joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in introducing the Executive Branch Emissions Transparency Act, proposed legislation that would calculate the use of fossil fuels expended by Kerry and other Biden administration officials while traveling by jet to climate change conferences around the world.

Capito, Ernst and Cotton also previously requested for the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) to calculate the greenhouse gases emitted from the Biden administration's travel to the United Nation's climate conference last year. The three Republican lawmakers released the inconclusive findings of that GAO report Thursday.

The GAO concluded that the State Department does "not have a systematic way to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. delegation travel."

The three lawmakers argued in a prepared statement Thursday that the Biden administration is allowing bureaucrats to burn fossil fuels by traveling by jet to climate conferences across the globe while waging a war on American-made energy at home.

"Americans are tired of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. who don't practice what they preach when it comes to protecting the environment," Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, said. "In the Biden administration, the same people who are closing down power plants across the country and forcing Americans to buy electric vehicles are also the ones flying to climate conferences and using fossil fuels without apology. I'm proud to join Senator Ernst in continuing our push for accountability and stand up for those who are understandably frustrated by the hypocrisy we've seen time and time again."

According to the joint statement from Capito, Cotton and Ernst, Kerry recently traveled by jet to three global climate conferences. In all three instances, fossil fuels were used to fly the officials to the global forums, the three Republicans argue. They said in 2022 Kerry led a delegation of 259 officials from 17 different agencies and offices that traveled by plane to a climate conference in Egypt. Also in 2022, Kerry flew to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January and then flew by jet to the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy, and Environment, according to the three lawmakers.

While many Republicans do not deny that climate change is occurring, they are largely opposed to efforts by the Biden administration to curtain the use of fossil fuels, including gas, oil and coal.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, multiple lines of evidence show the earth's climate is changing. Scientists say human activity is the main driver of climate change, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, which produce heat trapping gas.

The Biden administration wants to restrict global heating to below 1.5 degrees celsius, a threshold which if crossed could lead to serious climate impacts, the administration warns.

However, Ernst said American-made fossil fuels are not the enemy.

"The gas is always greener when you're burning fossil fuels in the name of saving the planet," Ernst said. "While giving lip service to greenies, Biden bureaucrats are blatantly emitting the greenhouse gases they demonize. The double standard is clear, and Americans have had enough of this hot air. "

"Joe Biden and his officials say they are addressing an 'existential' crisis by participating in climate conferences, all while traveling on private jets to and from the conferences," Cotton added. "The Biden administration should instead focus its efforts on American energy production — or at the very least, let American taxpayers know about the private travel they are paying for."

Capito was in Bluefield Thursday to participate in a project update regarding a natural gas line extension in Bluefield. She didn't address the Executive Branch Emissions Transparency Act at that event.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens