Washington – The Congress controlled by Republicans has voted to repeal a federal rate on oil and gas producers that Release high methane levelsundo an important piece of climate policy of former President Joe Biden aimed at controlling the “Super pollutant” of heating of the planet. The rate was expected, which had not entered into force, brought billions of dollars.
The Senate voted Thursday in the 52-47 party lines to repeal the rate, after a vote of the camera of representatives similar on Wednesday. The measure now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.
Methane is a much stronger global warming gas than carbon dioxide, especially in the short term, and is to blame for approximately one third of the world’s heating so far. Petroleum and Gas producers are among the largest emitters of American methane and controlling it is critical To address climate change.
Most of the main oil and gas companies do not release enough methane to trigger the rate, which is $ 900 per ton, an amount that would increase to $ 1,500 by 2026. The measure was part of the 2022 inflation reduction lawBut the Environmental Protection Agency did not establish rules formally until the end of last year.
That time made it vulnerable to the Congress Review Law, which allows Congress to approve a resolution to undo the rules that are ended towards the end of a president’s mandate. If these resolutions pass and the president signs them, the rule ends and the agencies cannot re -issue a similar.
“It is an unfortunate testimony of the influence of the great oil in Capitol Hill that one of the main priorities of Congress is a shameless brochure for the worst actors in the fossil fuel industry,” said Tyson Slocum, director of the citizen public energy program.
The American Petroleum Institute, the largest lobbying group for the oil and gas industry, applauded the measure, qualifying the rate as a “duplicate and punitive tax on the production of American energy that stifles innovation.”
“Thanks to the action of the industry, methane emissions continue to decrease as production increases, and we support to rely on this progress through intelligent and effective regulation,” said Amanda Eversole, executive vice president and director of Defense of API.
Worldwide, methane concentrations in the atmosphere have constantly rise.
Republican senator Shelley Moore Capito de West Virginia, who presides over the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, spoke in favor of repeal on the Senate’s floor.
“We should expand natural gas production, not restrict it. On the other hand, the natural gas tax will limit the production of American natural gas, which leads to an increase in energy prices and provides an impulse to the production of natural gas in Russia, ”he said.
When the gas is filtered, the producer is wasting gas that could maintain and sell.
Methane rate repeal It is the last of several pro-aceite and gas movements Republicans have taken from the beginning of Trump’s mandate. On his first day, he declared an emergency of national energy, asking for more oil and gas production, and less environmental reviews. The Democrats failed to revoke that statement yesterday. Trump has also raised a pause in new applications for liquefied natural gas export terminals, eliminated the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement and has moved to open more public lands and water areas for oil and gas drilling.
The rate on the Methane versions aimed to boost companies to adopt best practices to stop emissions and make their operations more efficient. The EPA had said that the rate was expected to reduce 1.2 million methane emission tons by 2035, that is almost the same as eliminating 8 million cars from the road for a year.
The Biden administration also had Implemented methane regulations in existing oil and gas wells, after addressing methane escape from the new wells. The EPA at that time destined to the rate to complement that governance and focus on the worst polluting.
According to a recent study.
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Phillis reported from St. Louis.
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