COLUMBUS, Ind.- Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced today it joined 16 other companies signing a letter to the leaders of the U.S. Congress supporting the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act, maintaining the private sector and government must work together to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The letter follows an Oct. 1 news release from Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger stating the company's position. Noting that Cummins has made a significant investment both in dollars and resources to address the country's climate challenges, Linebarger said passage of the climate provisions would 'make it clear that the U.S. government is also committed to addressing this threat to our country and our planet.
'Our mission of making peoples' lives better by powering a more prosperous world requires a healthier planet, and government and business must work together to address the existential threat of climate change,' he said.
This week's letter signed by the 17 companies was sent to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York. It says urgent action is needed to 'limit the catastrophic impacts of climate change, which include disruptions to supply chains, damage to public and private infrastructure, workforce displacement and price volatility to consumers. It is critical that the provisions in the final legislation drive down emissions across all sectors; create new partnerships and incentives for food and agriculture; create high-quality, good paying jobs; invest in community resilience and advance environmental justice to deliver a sustainable future.'
The other companies signing the Oct. 18 letter include: bp America Inc., Carrier, Daikin US Corporation, Danfoss, Danone North America, DSM North America, Exelon, IKEA Retail US, Johnson Controls, Mars Incorporated, Nestle, PepsiCo, Shell, Siemens USA, Trane Technologies plc, and Unilever United States.
Cummins believes government investment and incentives in new technologies, and the infrastructure necessary to use them, are imperative to make economically viable the transition to clean and renewable energies. The company says forging a path to zero emissions will create good jobs that last and strengthen American competitiveness while providing cleaner air for all.
Cummins specifically supports provisions for clean commercial vehicle deployment, the infrastructure buildout for battery charging and hydrogen fueling stations, as well as the decarbonization and modernization of the nation's electrical grid.
Linebarger has also said the current revenue raising provisions under discussion in Washington place a tax burden on U.S. headquartered companies that will make them uncompetitive and cost jobs. He says U.S. companies must be on equal footing with their global partners to thrive. The letter sent to Pelosi and Schumer encourages the leaders to find the right balance to 'ensure our competitiveness while protecting the planet.'
Cummins has pledged to take a leadership role on the world's climate challenges, maintaining it is well positioned to make a difference on the issue given its position serving a variety of power markets, including rail, marine, on-highway and numerous off-highway markets including emergency standby power for hospitals, data centers and other essential facilities.
The company has been working to reduce the environmental impact of core products such as diesel and natural gas engines for many years, cutting key contributors to smog from diesel engines such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides by more than 95% since the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Cummins has been a leader in bringing to market no-carbon technologies such as battery and fuel cell electric as well as electrolyzers critical to producing green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is a promising fuel for decarbonization.
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