Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May 12th, 2016) – Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized their federal methane rule to restrict emissions of the gas across the country. The rule is expected to overlap and interfere with successful state and voluntary efforts to reduce methane emissions without discouraging energy production.

Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large), Vice Chairmen Scott Tipton (CO-03) and Paul Gosar (AZ-04), and caucus member Rep. Kevin Cramer (ND-At large) issued the following statements in response:

“The EPA’s rule is excessive, unnecessary, and could undermine ongoing state and voluntary efforts to reduce methane emissions,” said Chairman Lummis. “The one-size-fits-all standards could undo the tremendous strides made in recent years to reduce energy costs for families with American-made energy. The EPA needs to back off and let the professionals who have the know-how, the track record, and the innovative spirit to continue leading in methane emissions reduction while supporting an energy secure America.”

“The finalized methane emissions rule will have a negligible impact on air quality, while creating a significant new regulatory paperwork and red tape burden on energy producers who are already increasingly capturing methane emissions through technological innovation and under several existing and effective state efforts,” said Vice Chairman Tipton. “States are already leading the charge on methane collection efforts. The EPA should focus on enforcing existing laws, rather than promulgating new overreaching rules and regulations to stifle job creation and responsible energy production that Congress did not approve or pass.”

“Today, the EPA continued its unnatural fixation with destroying traditional energy resources by issuing a final regulation for methane emissions that is even worse than what the agency initially proposed,” said Vice Chairman Gosar. “Even though methane emissions from natural gas have been voluntarily reduced by 11 percent since 2005, the EPA is hell-bent on imposing an unnecessary rule that even the agency admits will cost businesses and job creators $530 million in 2025 alone. The American people can’t afford another job-killing EPA regulation not based on science.”

“Today’s finalized methane regulations from the EPA are another one-size-fits-all sledge hammer on the fossil fuel industry,” said Rep. Cramer. “Interestingly enough, methane is pretty much natural gas, which is a product this industry sells.  They’re not in the business of wasting methane any more than a farmer is interested in wasting his harvest.  Regulations, when necessary, need to be tailored to the diverse geography across the United States and overseen by the very people living in those communities, not the federal government.”

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