Ex-GOP Rep. Curbelo to testify at climate change hearing

Former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.) has been invited by Democrats and will appear as a witness during a House panel hearing on climate change next week, a senior congressional aide confirmed on Friday.

Curbelo, who narrowly lost his reelection race in November, is expected to discuss the benefits of a carbon tax. 

{mosads}Curbelo — a moderate Republican who previously served on the committee — introduced a bill last year that would have repealed the federal excise tax on gasoline and replaced it with a $24 per metric ton levy on coal and natural gas emissions.

The proposal was met with a sharp push-back from the majority of the House GOP conference, with critics arguing it could have an adverse effect on the economy.  

The House Ways and Means Committee hearing, titled  “The Economic and Health Consequences of Climate Change,” is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.