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By Daniella Diaz and Kristin Wilson, CNN
The House voted Friday to repeal a Trump-era rule that rolled back regulations of methane emissions from oil and gas industries, sending a resolution to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature as his administration looks to combat climate change.
The final vote was 229-191. All Democrats supported the resolution, and 12 Republicans broke ranks and supported it as well.
The resolution would restore an Obama-era rule that controlled leaks of methane from oil and gas operations.
In September, the Trump administration rolled back the 2016 regulation limiting methane leaks by requiring companies to monitor and repair new natural gas equipment.
The Senate passed the resolution at the end of April under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to roll back regulations imposed by the executive branch. The CRA allows Congress to rescind within 60 legislative days a regulation put in place by an administration without having to clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate that is necessary for most legislation.
The Republicans who voted for the resolution were Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan, Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Pete Sessions of Texas, Brian Mast of Florida, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, John Katko of New York, Young Kim of California, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tom Reed of New York and Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency called Friday’s vote “an important step” for protecting public health and combating the climate crisis.
“Today’s Congressional action is an important step toward restoring crucial measures to protect public health from methane and other harmful air pollutants from new and modified oil and gas facilities, a critical move in tackling the climate crisis and protecting our communities,” the EPA spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
Environmental groups also celebrated the resolution passing Congress. Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement that Capitol Hill “delivered its first bipartisan win for the climate.”
“This vote sends a clear message to EPA that Congress expects stronger limits on oil and gas methane pollution to assure important climate and clean air protections,” Krupp said.
This story has been updated with additional developments Friday.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Ted Barrett, Liz Stark and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.
