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The WASHINGTON of the Democratic Congress has approved a bill that would reintroduce policies aimed at limiting climate warming greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas drilling, a rare effort Democrats use the legislative branch to overthrow a regulating rollback under President Donald Trump.
The House gave final legislative approval Friday on a resolution that would repeal the Trump-era rule that rests on the requirements of a 2016 Obama administration that targets methane emissions from leakage and ignition in oil and gas wells.
The resolution was approved, 229-191, and will now go to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it. Twelve Republicans joined 217 Democrats to support the proposal.
Democrats and environmentalists have called the methane rule one of the Trump administration’s most serious actions to curb U.S. businesses and said its removal would help launch a broader effort by the Biden administration and Congress. to deal with climate change. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, packing a stronger blow in the short term than carbon dioxide.
Congress just delivered the first-ever bipartisan win for climate, ”said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund.“ Controlling methane is a winning proposition for all parties because it cuts pollution and reduces waste. . “
The resolution was approved under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn certain regulations that have been implemented in a short period of time. Trump’s methane rule ended in September.
The methane action is one of three Trump-era policies targeted by Democrat-controlled Congress under the review law, a sharp contrast to 14 Obama-era policies repealed by congressmen. who was Republican in the first year of the Trump administration.
Other policies approved by Democrats are targeted at Trump-era actions that relax regulations on payday lenders and another that Democrats said gave employers unfair advantages over workers in resolving discrimination claims.
Rep. Diana DeGette D-Colo., Who sponsored the methane move, called its approval a major win in our overall efforts to combat the climate crisis, and a critical first step toward adequate reduction in our countries on overall methane emissions.
If Biden and Congress are going to be serious about fighting this climate crisis, we need to take steps now to reduce the amount of methane in our environment, DeGette said. The law will keep more than 1.6 million tons of methane out of the air that all Americans breathe and require oil and gas companies to take the steps necessary to better protect our planet and public health ”by of the reintroduction of methane standards set in 2016, he said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said the methane action is part of Congress’s effort to regain its own power. He called the Congressional Review Act “one of the most important tools in Congress … to serve for the people and regain our authority under the Constitution, to promote the balance of powers that is the foundation of our democracy. America. “
Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Head of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, said the measure approved Friday “will restore safeguards that make sense to limit methane pollution from oil and gas production. a modest and straightforward step in the right direction, but it is very important. “
Republicans disagreed, saying the measure would take unfair advantage of oil and gas companies already working to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases.
Rep. Said. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., Whose bill measures advanced radical activists ’priorities while empowering foreign oil producers in the Middle East and Russia.
Rep. Said. Yvette Herrell, RN.M, whose proposal would “nickel and cut down on the most important business in my district,” the oil and gas producers she said could be forced out of business by excessive government regulations.
Those statements are contrary to the oil and gas industry, which largely supports the Obama administration. Environmental Protection Agency rule has curbed methane emissions at facilities built or modified since 2015, requiring companies to deploy technology to detect and fix emissions in oil and gas wells. . Many large energy companies have embraced methane capture as a way to save money and promote natural gas as a cleaner option than coal in countries ’power plants.
Congressional action clears the way for EPA to come up with policies to control methane emissions from new and existing wells, including hundreds of thousands of older wells that are not subject to federal regulation under of the present law.
Oil giant BP said Friday it supports direct federal regulation of methane emissions.
Keeping methane in pipes is good for the planet and for business. It means we can sell it as a cleaner source of fuel than lose it, “said Mary Streett, a senior vice president at BP. Glad Congress recognizes the importance of this goal and we urge the president to sign the resolution.
The American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s leading lobbying group, said it will work with the Biden administration to support direct methane regulation from new and existing sources.
We have an opportunity to build on the progress made by the industry in driving methane emissions through technological advancement, and we are committed to finding a common ground in government cost-effective policies, ”the spokesperson said. of API Jessica Szymanski.
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