The lawmakers expressed concern the rule does not benefit NASA’s stated mission.
The mission of NASA, the senators wrote, is to “explore the unknown in air and space, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery.”
The committee, however, noted the regulation would increase costs among federal agencies by almost $4 billion.
The committee raised concerns that the cost to individual contractors, many of which are small businesses, “would equal hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars upfront and annually thereafter.”
“Smaller firms with limited streams of resources compared to larger companies may have to either exit the government contracting market or consolidate with other entities,” the senators wrote.
“The rule would require American contractors to adopt arbitrary, vague standards for the measurement, disclosure, and estimation of emissions, ‘risks,’ and reduction targets that have been created and managed by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi),” the letter reads.
The committee noted the rule exempts tribes, non-profit organizations, universities, state and local governments, and “entities deriving at least 80 percent of annual revenue from federal management and operating contracts, with no scientific explanation... Making it appear the regulation has less to do with ‘science’ and more to do with political favoritism toward special interest groups.”
The senators concluded the rule should be abandoned.
“After repeated failed attempts to enact radical environmental policies through legislation, this proposed rule is another example of the administration’s strategy to implement its agenda through unelected bureaucrats,” the letter reads. “Such undemocratic policymaking will only increase costs, reduce progress, and have a chilling effect on needed energy investment in the United States.”
NASA did not respond to a request for comment.