U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing S.J. Res. 76, a Congressional Review Act resolution that would repeal a Trump-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule extending compliance deadlines for crude oil and natural gas emissions regulations.
The EPA rule in question extends compliance deadlines for new or modified crude oil and natural gas facilities, delays implementation of the SuperEmitter Program, and postpones state plan submissions for greenhouse gas emissions from existing facilities. Senator Capito argued that these extensions correct what she described as “harmful Biden-era policies” that imposed strict standards on the oil and natural gas industry.
In her statement, Capito said: “Later today the Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 76, the CRA introduced by my colleague from California, Senator Schiff, to repeal the Trump EPA’s interim final rule that extends the compliance deadlines for the Biden administration’s stringent attack on oil and natural gas facilities.
“Over the past four years, we witnessed an onslaught of regulation like nothing we have never seen before, an attack that specifically targeted affordable and reliable sources of energy like oil and natural gas, among others.
“The purpose of these overbearing, and in some cases outright illegal rules, was clear: it was an attempt to shut down conventional energy in our country from sources that the Democrats don’t like.
“Through this barrage of overregulation, the Biden administration created record high gas prices and a grid reliability crisis that our nation must now address.
“We must recognize that we are really in a critical moment for American energy. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has found that over the next ten years, due to a rise in energy consumption and the policy-driven retirement of our existing power generation, our country may face major electric reliability concerns.
“The Biden Administration compounded these issues through regulations that sought to force a transition to unreliable intermittent energy sources.
“We must take action now to ensure that future electricity demand is met, and we can do this by continuing to produce natural gas. Fracking and shale gas have revolutionized American energy, leading to lower prices, job growth and increased energy security.
“According to the Energy Information Administration, the rapid expansion of natural gas in the US has decreased the power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions by 35% over the last 20 years. Additionally, upstream oil and gas production reduced its methane emissions by more than 40 percent over the last 10 years.
“Natural gas is an affordable, reliable and clean source of energy, vital to reducing our emissions. We should be expanding production of this resource, not restricting it.
“Unfortunately, restriction is the purpose of this CRA. This rule put in place by the Trump administration extends compliance deadlines for crude oil and natural gas facilities because the Biden EPA set standards that are simply unachievable.
“In a time of energy uncertainty, my Democratic colleagues should be in total support of expanding the use of natural gas. Instead, they are forcing a vote to increase our energy prices.
“This CRA is an attempt to take us back to Biden-era energy policy, and I urge my colleagues to swiftly reject this motion to proceed.”
The debate comes amid ongoing discussions about balancing environmental regulations with maintaining affordable energy supplies. Capito emphasized concerns about grid reliability if stricter timelines are enforced without adequate infrastructure or alternative solutions.
