Thursday, May 11, 2017

In surprise, Senate fails to repeal methane rule

A GOP resolution to repeal the Obama administration's methane rule for public lands was torpedoed Wednesday by a surprise decision from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to vote against it. McCain joined Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and all of the Senate's 48 Democrats in voting down the measure by a narrow 51 to 49 margin. Collins and Graham had both telegraphed their intentions to vote "no" long before Wednesday's vote, but McCain hadn't. It was the first failed vote of the Trump era, after 13 successful Congressional Review Act (CRA) votes to undo regulations former President Barack Obama finalized in his last months in office. The failure of the resolution is a loss for congressional Republicans, who had targeted the methane rule as one of the main Obama regulations they wanted to reverse. Opponents of the rule argue that it unnecessarily adds costs to oil and natural gas drilling on federal land...more

No comments: