House votes to overturn rule implementing methane fee
The House on Wednesday voted to overturn a Biden-era rule implementing a program that charges oil and gas companies for excess methane emissions.
The vote was 220-206-1.
Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (Calif.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (Mich.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) voted with nearly every Republican in favor of the measure.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) was the only Republican to vote with Democrats against it. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) voted present.
The Senate is expected to soon hold a similar vote and the resolution is likely to pass there as well and ultimately be signed by President Trump.
However, overturning the rule does not necessarily eliminate the program, which was written into law in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Fully overturning it appears to require additional legislation, and Republicans are expected to try to repeal it as part of their broader legislative package.
Methane is a planet-warming pollutant that is about 28 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. Oil and gas production is one major source of methane emissions, because methane — the main component of natural gas — is sometimes released or burned during that process.
Under the 2022 law, companies that emit methane at levels equivalent to 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year must pay for their excess emissions.
The law also provides grants to help companies install technology to reduce their emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the program would prevent 1.2 million metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere — climate gains equivalent to taking nearly 8 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year.
Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized it as a “tax” on gas production.
“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,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a written statement.
A coalition of more than 70 environmental groups urged Congress to vote against the measure, arguing that methane leaks waste gas that could otherwise be used as fuel.
“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.
Topics
-
House budget resolution vote expected
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a budget plan that would extend cuts to several parts of government spending. CBS News' Taurean Small reports.CBS News - 1d -
Supreme Court turns away bid to overturn ruling on abortion clinic buffer zones
The Supreme Court turned away two appeals asking the justices to overrule a 25-year-old decision that allowed for buffer zones around abortion clinics.CBS News - 2d -
Johnson hopes to hold House budget vote this week
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans are looking to vote this week on a budget resolution in-line with President Donald Trump’s agenda. NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin reports on how some GOP ...NBC News - 1d -
House budget plan advances to final floor vote
Politico - 1d -
House aims to vote on budget resolution in key test for Johnson
"There may be a vote tonight, there may not be," House Speaker Mike Johnson said after a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Tuesday.CBS News - 1d -
Budget vote in House tests slim GOP majority in new Trump term
If House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to pass the Trump-backed budget plan, which includes trillions in tax cuts, he can only afford to lose one Republican vote. However, multiple GOP lawmakers have ...CBS News - 1d -
House GOP, after pulling budget resolution, brings it back for a vote
House GOP leaders brought their budget resolution to the floor for the vote, just minutes after pulling it at the last minute Tuesday evening as they struggled to win over a handful of conservative ...The Hill - 1d -
The Dramatic House Budget Vote, and a New ‘Gold Card’ for Immigrants
Plus, how microphones changed music.The New York Times - 14h -
House Rules Committee advances budget resolution as path forward remains uncertain
The House Rules Committee voted Monday to advance the GOP conference’s plan to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda, sending the budget resolution to the full chamber even as its fate on the ...The Hill - 1d
More from The Hill
-
Supreme Court briefly pauses order for Trump admin to imminently release foreign aid
Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily delayed a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to unfreeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments, imposed by a lower judge who found the ...The Hill - 10m -
Mulvaney says Trump, Musk 'itching for a fight' with courts on federal worker cuts
NewsNation contributor and former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump and Elon Musk are itching for a fight with the courts over their cuts to the federal workforce. ...The Hill - 29m -
Trump administration goes to Supreme Court to stave off midnight deadline to unfreeze foreign aid
The Justice Department filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court Wednesday asking to block a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to unfreeze nearly $2 billion in blocked ...The Hill - 1h -
Greene threatens criminal referrals at House DOGE hearing
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), threatened to make criminal referrals during a hearing on foreign ...The Hill - 2h -
DOJ doubles down on Supreme Court intervening in Trump firing case
The Justice Department doubled down on its demand that the Supreme Court step in to greenlight President Trump’s firing of a government whistleblower office head, warning in a Wednesday letter that ...The Hill - 2h
More in Politics
-
Supreme Court briefly pauses order for Trump admin to imminently release foreign aid
Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily delayed a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to unfreeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments, imposed by a lower judge who found the ...The Hill - 10m -
Mulvaney says Trump, Musk 'itching for a fight' with courts on federal worker cuts
NewsNation contributor and former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump and Elon Musk are itching for a fight with the courts over their cuts to the federal workforce. ...The Hill - 29m -
Trump administration goes to Supreme Court to stave off midnight deadline to unfreeze foreign aid
The Justice Department filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court Wednesday asking to block a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to unfreeze nearly $2 billion in blocked ...The Hill - 1h -
How a conspiracy theory on missing gold at Fort Knox spread to the White House
NBC News’ Steven Romo reports on how a conspiracy theory about missing gold at Fort Knox spread to the White House. The federal facility holds half of the country’s gold and has only been opened ...NBC News - 2h -
U.S. carries out strike against Al-Qaeda affiliate leader in Syria, officials say
According to two U.S. officials, the U.S. carried out a strike against a senior leader of an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Syria. NBC News’ Courtney Kube reports.NBC News - 2h