On April 28, 2021, the Senate passed Joint Resolution 14 (the “Resolution), which would effectively nullify the Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New Reconstructed, and Modified Sources Review (85 Fed. Reg. 57018) rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency on September 14, 2020, under the Trump Administration. The 2020 EPA rule “finalized amendments to new source performance standards under the Clean Air Act for the oil and natural gas sector, such as an amendment that removed limitations on methane emissions from such sector.” If passed by the House and signed by the President, the Resolution would reinstate previous rules authorizing the EPA to regulate methane emissions from transmissions (e.g., pipelines) and storage facilities used in the oil and gas sector. (See 85 Fed. Reg. 57018 at p. 50719.) The Resolution was introduced by Senator Heinrich on March 25, 2021, and will now be sent to the House of Representatives for a vote.

A copy of the Resolution can be accessed here.

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