Senate · SJRES 12 · 119th Congress
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems: Procedures for Facilitating Compliance, Including Netting and Exemptions".
Summary
This resolution cancels an EPA rule that set up fees for oil and gas companies releasing too much methane. Congress would use its power to block the rule before it takes effect. The rule would have charged companies for excess greenhouse gas releases under a federal program.
In Favor
Congress is blocking this EPA fee because lawmakers say the charge was not clearly authorized by statute, and they have the power to cancel such rules. The fee also duplicates existing state and federal methane rules, adding extra compliance costs on top of rules already in place. U.S. producers would pay these fees while foreign competitors face no similar charge.
Against
Methane traps far more heat than carbon dioxide, so this fee gave companies a direct reason to capture gas instead of releasing it. Blocking the charge removes that financial pressure with no replacement tool. People living near oil and gas operations lose a key protection against excess methane venting.
Additional Considerations
Purpose & Problem
Is the problem real and worth federal action?
This resolution would cancel an EPA rule that set up procedures for oil and gas companies to follow when paying charges on methane emissions that exceed set limits.
Scope & Related Provisions
Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?
The resolution targets only the single EPA compliance rule named in its text, and the provisions stay on topic.
Who Is Affected
Who benefits, and who bears the cost?
Oil and gas companies that emit methane above set thresholds would no longer face the charge procedures. The EPA would lose the framework it uses to collect those charges.
Cost & Funding
Is it affordable and responsibly funded?
The bill does not authorize or spend federal money directly. Canceling the rule would remove the mechanism the EPA uses to collect annual charges from oil and gas companies that exceed methane emission limits.
Risks & Implementation
What could go wrong in practice?
If passed, the EPA would lose its current process for collecting methane charges, and Congress or the agency would need to decide separately how to handle that program going forward.
For the actual bill text, see congress.gov.
AI-generated · Published 7/22/2026