According to the U.S. Green Building Council, Congress has directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the carbon emissions intensity of certain goods produced in the United States, including cement, iron, steel and other items implicated by the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which went into effect on Jan. 1.
The direction was adapted from the bipartisan Providing Reliable Objective Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act introduced last Congress. While that bill was ultimately unsuccessful, similar language was included in the bill report accompanying the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations Act, recently signed into law.
The bill report directs DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to provide a study within one year on the average emissions intensity of all applicable U.S. products covered by the EU CBAM compared to those from other countries. While the bill report does not carry the force of law, it is a form of congressional direction that the administration is generally expected to follow.
The goal of the study is to demonstrate that U.S. manufacturers of cement and other products generate lower emissions compared to those in other countries. Having a robust national dataset is critical to protecting international competitiveness, transparency and fairness for these domestic industries, noted USGBC, as major markets, including the EU, increasingly prioritize lower embodied carbon emissions.
“We encourage U.S. product manufacturers in the cement, iron, steel, aluminum and other affected industries, as well as other stakeholders, to reach out to DOE to communicate the importance of doing this study and to communicate how it will boost American manufacturing competitiveness,” said USGBC officials.
