"Congress is scheduled to vote on two bills this week that would roll back climate regulations issued in the final months of the Biden administration. The agencies that implemented the rules, which limit methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and set efficiency standards for water heaters, expected them to prevent tens of millions of tons of climate pollution in coming decades if left in place.
The votes would be two of the first attempts by the new Congress to use a legislative tool under the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to nullify certain regulations with a simple majority vote, as long as the president signs the resolution.
Already, Republicans in Congress have targeted 29 final rules enacted in the waning days of the Biden administration with Congressional Review Act resolutions, according to the Center for Progressive Reform, a left-leaning research and advocacy group that has launched a tracker of these resolutions. The act also permanently prevents agencies from adopting “substantially” similar rules in the future without Congressional authority.
GOP lawmakers have targeted climate and environmental regulations in particular—17 out of 41 resolutions introduced so far would repeal rules by the Environmental Protection Agency or Department of Energy, according to the tracker."
Nicholas Kusnetz reports for Inside Climate News February 26, 2025.
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