By Hannah Grover
President Donald Trump may soon undo a rule intended to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. That rule essentially required oil and gas producers to pay a fine if they emit methane.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the rule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized in November to implement a fee on excess emissions as part of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. The following day, the U.S. Senate followed the House’s lead and passed a companion resolution.
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program was created through the Inflation Reduction Act.
That means the resolution now heads to Trump’s desk where he’s expected to sign it.
The Congressional Review Act is a tool Congress uses to undo certain actions taken by federal agencies.
“Without this safeguard, big oil and gas can waste as much natural gas as they like and pass the cost onto consumers,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor on Thursday.
Congress’ actions this week will not impact state regulations such as New Mexico’s methane waste rule, which informed the crafting of the national regulations. The Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas is the top producing oil basin in the country and is also a leader in natural gas production.
Environmental advocacy groups decried the Republican actions.
“Industry extracts publicly held resources off lands that belong to all of us for private profit,” Camilla Feibelman, director of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter in New Mexico, said. “The methane companies emit waste alongside pollutants that harm our communities. Responsible extractors will never incur a fee. We call on Congress to protect our climate and our communities.”
When captured, methane can then be sold for a profit as it is the primary component in natural gas. Proponents of methane regulations say methane flaring or venting not only harms the environment, but also wastes publicly-owned resources and reduces revenue for government bodies.
Methane is also a greenhouse gas that is one of the leading contributors to climate change.
Oil and gas industry associations meanwhile praised Congress’ actions.
“This bipartisan resolution is an important step toward repealing the so-called ‘methane fee’ — a duplicative, punitive tax on American energy production that stifles innovation,” American Petroleum Institute Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Amanda Eversole said in a press release. “Thanks to industry action, methane emissions continue to decline as production increases, and we support building on this progress through smart and effective regulation.”
Unbelievable! The main contributor to global warming.