Washington, DC - Today, the Republican-led U.S. Senate passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal an EPA rule implementing the Methane Emissions Reduction Program’s waste emissions charge. Congress included this critical program in the Inflation Reduction Act to help protect our families and communities from harmful oil and gas pollution. The charge is a commonsense measure to cut excessive methane emissions from corporations that are the largest polluters, secure American energy, and create jobs.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a companion resolution yesterday.
In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:
Director of Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy Mahyar Sorour said: “This attack on EPA’s implementation of the methane waste emissions charge is short-sighted and harmful. It remains a legal requirement for EPA to hold the biggest methane polluters accountable for their negligence. Forcing the agency to implement the charge some other way after conducting a thorough, well-researched process is as wasteful of taxpayer resources as these oil and gas operators are wasteful of harmful methane. Technology to monitor and stop leaks is readily available and easy to implement, so only wasteful, careless corporations will face a fee for excessive methane pollution. Despite this setback, Sierra Club will not stop fighting to make polluters pay for their egregious actions.”
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.