Congress passed Congressional Review Act (CRA) legislation yesterday, repealing the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Waste Emissions Charge (WEC). 

WEC—a rule established under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program—reinforced the immediate need for methane mitigation to curb climate change and protect communities and workers from harmful pollution. Together with the $1.5 billion in methane mitigation investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, this charge would have reduced pollution by investing in technological deployment, increasing monitoring and reporting, and creating industry accountability. 

Following the passage of the CRA, the BlueGreen Alliance released a statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh: 

“The WEC was a vital component of efforts to reduce methane emissions across the oil and gas industry. Congress is severely undermining the EPA’s ability to protect communities and the workers who breathe in these harmful emissions. Repealing the WEC is a clear signal that Republicans in Congress care more about lining the pockets of corporate CEOs than the health of their workers across the country.”