House Passes Riders to Block Social Cost of Carbon and EPA Methane Rule

The House of Representatives this week finished voting on amendments to the Interior-EPA appropriations bill and then passed the underlying bill, H. R. 3354, by a vote of 211 to 198.  In addition to the amendments passed last week, the House voted to prohibit the use of the Social Cost of Carbon guidance document and to block enforcement of the EPA’s methane emission rule.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) offered both amendments. The social cost of carbon amendment passed by a vote of 225 to 186. The vote on the methane rule amendment was 218 to 195. 

An amendment offered by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by $1,869,087,000 was defeated by a vote of 151 to 260. Seventy-five Republicans voted with the Democrats against the cut, while only one Democrat, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted for it. The $1.87 billion reduction would have put the House bill in line with President Trump’s budget request for EPA.