Senate Special Favor for Big Oil and Gas Blocked
May 10, 2017
Senate Special Favor for Big Oil and Gas Blocked
Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
Note: Today, the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a motion to proceed to a vote to repeal the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s methane waste limits using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) sided with Senate Democrats, blocking the resolution (H.J. Res. 36) from advancing to a final vote.
Less than 48 hours before the end of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) carryover period, Senate Republicans couldn’t resist trying to sneak through one more special favor for their corporate donors by attempting to repeal the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane waste limits. Instead, common sense prevailed. Senators McCain, Graham and Collins and all 48 Senate Democrats did the right thing by voting to reject the measure to repeal the rule. The BLM’s methane waste limits are overwhelmingly popular, create jobs, slow climate change, protect children from noxious fumes that cause asthma and cancer, and even increase industry profits. Keeping them in place is a win for everyone.
It’s not an accident, nor just due to the merits, that Republicans failed to ram through this proposed gift to big oil and gas. The public has figured out the CRA corporate payback scheme and is not willing to tolerate this or other rewards to the corporate class.
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