Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - Today, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives 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 Senate is expected to take up a companion bill later today.
In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:
Director of Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy Mahyar Sorour said: “House Republicans attacking 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. The Senate must reject this harmful attempt to further enrich corporate polluters at the expense of communities, the climate, and consumers.”
Organizer with the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter Agripina Gomez said: “My neighbors and I in Cameron County want the oil and gas industry to clean up its act and be part of the solution to make our communities safer and healthier. The Waste Emissions Charge is a smart, practical tool that helps reduce methane waste and creates jobs in the process. Repealing it hurts workers and families like mine who are already struggling to pay our bills.”
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman said: “Industry extracts publicly held resources off lands that belong to all of us for private profit. 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.”
###
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.