Rep. Engel Statement On H.J. Res. 36

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a leading member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on H.J. Res. 36:

“I am outraged by House Republican efforts to overturn substantial environmental policies of the Obama Administration, including and especially the Methane Waste Prevention Rule. This rule caps, for the first time, the amount of methane that oil and gas producers operating under federal leases are allowed to ‘flare,’ or burn as waste.  It also prohibits operators from releasing or ‘venting’ natural gas into the atmosphere, and requires them to replace equipment that allows large amounts of methane to ‘bleed’ into the air.  This rule would result in 175,000 to 180,000 fewer tons of methane emissions each year, which is equivalent to removing nearly 1 million vehicles from our roads.

“As a leading member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have long been a champion for a cleaner, healthier environment for all New Yorkers and the American people. I have relentlessly fought to close Indian Point, oppose the Spectra Algonquin Pipeline, and resist the plan to anchor barges carrying crude oil along the Hudson River. 

“I will continue fighting to stop Republicans in Congress from undermining our environmental regulations and turning back the clock to a time when corporations could pollute unchecked.”