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Rep. Culberson Applauds OMB’s Decision to Extend the Social Cost of Carbon Comment Period

Washington, DC – Congressman John Culberson (TX-7) issued the following statement after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extended the comment period on its revisions to the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). In November, Rep. Culberson led a bipartisan letter to OMB requesting the longer comment period.  

“I’m pleased to see OMB recognize that the 30-day comment period they originally proposed was inadequate. The longer comment period that we requested will allow stakeholders to perform the necessary legal and economic analysis on the administration’s social cost of carbon calculation. Providing stakeholders with adequate time to run cost models and file substantive comments will provide a more meaningful review of the cost-benefit analysis employed in determining the social cost of carbon.”

The SCC is a carbon tax. Last May, an updated cost model that increases the SCC by about 50 percent was buried in a microwave oven rule issued by the administration. Congressman Culberson strongly believes that the administration needs to go through the normal public rule-making process rather than camouflage increases in technical documents and obscure rules.