Congress Votes on Stopping Federal Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations

The U.S. Senate Wednesday defeated four competing amendments to pending small business legislation that would have blocked, delayed, or limited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources.  Although none of the amendments garnered the necessary 60 votes for passage, altogether 64 Senators voted for at least one of the amendments to rein in the EPA’s greenhouse gas regulatory agenda. AGC sent a “Key Vote” letter to all Senators last week to urge them to vote in support of an amendment offered by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) that would prohibit entirely the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases to address climate change.  The amendment failed by a vote of 50 to 50, with 60 votes needed for passage. The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday passed 255 to 172 H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which also would strip the EPA of its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources.  The measure is the House companion to the McConnell/Inhofe amendment that failed Wednesday.  AGC sent a “Key Vote” letter to the House Tuesday to ask members to support the bill. AGC believes that EPA is using the Clean Air Act as the wrong tool under which to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and would make it harder for construction activity to take place.  EPA began regulating large stationary sources on January 1. For more information, contact Karen Lapsevic at 202-547-4733 or lapsevick@agc.org.