Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. The BLM venting and flaring rule, or the BLM methane rule, represents one of the Obama administration's most egregious abuses of executive power designed to destroy responsible energy production on Federal land.

BLM exceeded statutory authority by attempting to regulate air quality; authority that is vested solely with the EPA. Methane emissions from oil and natural gas have significantly declined in recent decades without duplicative Federal regulations in a time when oil and gas production in the U.S. has surged.

It is frustrating that this rule is somehow cloaked under the idea that it will benefit taxpayers. It won't. It is an onerous rule with no connection to the reality of the physics and chemistry of energy production. It will reduce American energy production on Federal land and, therefore, reduce royalties due to the U.S. Treasury.

This amendment brings accountability to executive rulemaking. I thank Congressman Pearce and applaud him, as well as Congressmen Westerman and Cramer for their similar amendments crippling other Obama rules.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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