Casten Votes to Pass Overhaul of Trump-Era Pollution Standards

Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC--Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) voted to restore critical protections to limit methane pollution that were gutted by the Trump Administration. The House took this important action by passing Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, S.J. Res. 14. Rep. Casten was a co-sponsor of the House version of this bill, H.J. Res. 34.

"The standards put forth by the Trump Administration ignored science, ignored the climate crisis, and ignored the environment the EPA was created to protect," said Rep. Casten "Because of this egregious rule, 16 million metric tons of methane were emitted into our atmosphere in 2019 alone. Today's vote restores reasonable and important Obama-Era clean energy standards, making our air cleaner, our communities safer, and our planet healthier."

S.J. Res. 14 restores Obama-era protections against dangerous methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, which the Trump Administration gutted. This bicameral legislation has bipartisan support and will reinstate robust Clean Air Act pollution standards, reducing harmful emissions to protect public health and combat the climate crisis.

Last year, Rep. Casten joined Rep. Diana DeGette in a letter to the EPA demanding they reverse the decision to roll back methane standards. A copy of the letter can be found here. Now that these Disapproval Resolutions have passed the House and Senate, they go to President Biden's desk for his signature.

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