The Senate will vote on nixing a Trump-era rule that limits regulation of methane next week, Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said during a floor speech on Thursday.
Schumer said the Senate would vote on ending the rule through the use of the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to get rid of regulations completed in the prior 60 legislative days with a simple majority vote.
“The Senate will consider a Congressional Review Act bill before the end of the work period to reimpose critical regulations concerning the release of methane into our atmosphere,” Schumer said.
The Trump-era rule in question put limits on the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
When it put forth the rule, the agency estimated that it would have allowed for an extra 400,000 short tons of methane to be emitted over the next decade.
“Methane gets less attention than its big bad brother, carbon dioxide, but in truth methane is like carbon dioxide on steroids,” Schumer said. “Many of the things we need to do to reduce methane emissions are fairly cheap and cost effective, like plugging leaks in fossil fuel infrastructure. So this makes common sense, especially when our globe is at risk.”
The rule is one of just a handful that Democrats are targeting with the Congressional Review Act. Some major oil companies have called for methane regulation, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is expected to support ending the Trump rule.