The Home on Wednesday voted to overturn a Biden-era rule implementing a program that costs oil and fuel firms for extra methane emissions.
The vote was 220-206-1.
Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Grey (Calif.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (Mich.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) voted with almost each Republican in favor of the measure.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) was the one Republican to vote with Democrats in opposition to it. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) voted current.
The Senate is anticipated to quickly maintain an analogous vote and the decision is prone to cross there as effectively and in the end be signed by President Trump.
Nevertheless, overturning the rule doesn’t essentially eradicate this system, which was written into legislation within the 2022 Inflation Discount Act.
Totally overturning it seems to require extra laws, and Republicans are anticipated to attempt to repeal it as a part of their broader legislative package deal.
Methane is a planet-warming pollutant that’s about 28 instances as highly effective as carbon dioxide. Oil and fuel manufacturing is one main supply of methane emissions, as a result of methane — the principle element of pure fuel — is typically launched or burned throughout that course of.
Underneath the 2022 legislation, firms that emit methane at ranges equal to 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually should pay for his or her extra emissions.
The legislation additionally gives grants to assist firms set up expertise to cut back their emissions.
The Environmental Safety Company has estimated that this system would forestall 1.2 million metric tons of methane from getting into the environment — local weather positive factors equal to taking almost 8 million gas-powered vehicles off the street for a yr.
Republicans, in the meantime, have characterised it as a “tax” on fuel manufacturing.
“Today, House Republicans rolled back the disastrous natural gas tax imposed by Democrats. This overreach has driven up energy prices, hurt domestic natural gas production, and increased reliance on foreign energy — without delivering any so-called environmental benefit,” mentioned Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a written assertion.
A coalition of greater than 70 environmental teams urged Congress to vote in opposition to the measure, arguing that methane leaks waste fuel that might in any other case be used as gas.
“The methane polluter fee is a critical tool to reduce the waste of natural gas, limit pollution in local communities, and drive America forward as a global leader on methane,” they wrote.
