Republicans target Obama rules on methane, coal
Source: Associated Press
WEDNESDAY, JAN 4, 2017 02:30 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders said Wednesday their top regulatory targets will be President Barack Obama’s rules to reduce methane emissions and to lessen the environmental impact of coal mining on the nation’s streams.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he expects swift action on the two environmental rules, arguing that they limit the nation’s energy production. He said Congress will seek to invalidate the rules starting at month’s end. McCarthy said the process won’t be completed quickly, but likens the effort to “draining the bureaucratic swamp that undermines the will of the people.”
Obama has pushed for rules to protect air and water as part of his focus on curbing global warming. He argues that the regulations enacted have benefited the economy more than they have cost. He has also said his administration’s use of regulatory authority is also a reflection of the GOP’s unwillingness to work with him on legislative solutions.
Republicans will also seek to repeal regulations implementing an education reform bill that some state officials have complained erodes local decision-making, McCarthy’s office said.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2017/01/04/republicans-target-obama-rules-on-methane-coal/
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"Methane is the primary component of natural gas, a common fuel source. If methane is allowed to leak into the air before being used—from a leaky pipe, for instance—it absorbs the sun's heat, warming the atmosphere. For this reason, it's considered a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide."
