Senate sends repeal of methane fee implementation to Trump’s desk

The Senate on Thursday sent a resolution to repeal a rule governing the implementation of a fee on excess methane emissions to Trump’s desk in a party-line vote.

Trump is expected to sign the resolution, which would repeal a Biden-era rule that implements a program that charges oil and gas companies whose operations emit planet-warming methane at levels above a certain threshold.

The House passed the same resolution on Wednesday.

It’s not immediately clear what the impacts of overturning the rule will be, since the program it governs is written into the law via the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

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.

Also on Thursday, the House separately voted to undo a Biden-era rule requiring gas-powered water heaters to be more efficient.

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