Congress Votes To Kill Biden-era Methane Fee On Oil And Gas Producers

The Republican-controlled Congress has voted to repeal a federal fee on oil and gas producers who release high levels of methane , undoing a major piece of former President Joe Biden's climate policy aimed at controlling the planet-warming 'super pollutant." The fee, which had not gone into effect, was expected to bring in billions of dollars.

The Senate on Thursday voted along party lines 52-47 to repeal the fee, following a similar House vote Wednesday. The measure now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

Methane is a much stronger global warming gas than carbon dioxide, especially in the short term, and is to blame for about one-third of the world's warming so far. Oil and gas producers are among the biggest U.S. methane emitters and controlling it is critical to address climate change.

Most major oil and gas companies do not release enough methane to trigger the fee, which is 900 per ton, an amount that would increase to 1,500 by 2026. The measure was part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act , but the Environmental Protection Agency didn't formally set rules until late last year.

That timing made it vulnerable to the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to pass a resolution to undo rules that are finalized towards the end of a president's term. If those resolutions pass and the president signs them, the rule is terminated and agencies can't issue a similar one again.