House sends Biden measure to reverse Trump's weakening of Obama rule aimed at methane from oil and gas wells

The House voted 229-191 Friday to reinstate rules "aimed at limiting climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas drilling, a rare effort by Democrats to use the legislative branch to overturn a regulatory rollback under President Donald Trump," reports Matthew Daly of The Associated Press.

The Trump-administration rule relaxed a 2016 Obama-administration rule. The resolution, passed under the Congressional review Act, now goes to President Biden, "who is expected to sign it," Daly reports. "Twelve Republicans joined 217 Democrats to support the measure."

Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, said the legislation "will restore common-sense safeguards to limit methane pollution from oil and gas production. It’s a modest and straightforward step in the right direction, but it’s a very important one."

But Republicans said the resolution unfairly punishes oil and gas companies that are working to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M, said it would "nickel and dime the most essential business in my district" and maybe put them out of business.

However, the oil and gas industry "largely supported the Obama-era rule," Daly notes. "Oil giant BP said Friday it supports direct federal regulation of methane emissions. . . . The American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s top lobbying group, said it will work with the Biden administration to support direct regulation of methane from new and existing sources."