Pallone Blasts Republicans for Putting Polluters Over People with Dangerous Bill to Repeal Two Landmark Inflation Reduction Act Programs

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) had the following opening remarks on the House Floor, as prepared for delivery, condemning Republicans' bill H.R. 1023, which repeals two landmark Inflation Reduction Act programs – the Methane Emissions Reduction Program and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1023 legislation that repeals the Methane Emissions Reduction Program and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – two landmark programs included in the Inflation Reduction Act. These two programs work to slash dangerous climate pollution and invest in communities across the country, all while lowering the deficit. This bill is nothing more than another shameless giveaway to Republicans’ corporate polluter friends at the American people’s expense.

What’s more, this is the third time Republicans have brought bills to repeal these programs to the House Floor. Clearly, my Republican colleagues are struggling to come up with new ideas and resorting to the same tired old stunts we have all come to expect. H.R. 1023 is more of the same – it is the latest in a long line of politicized attempts to reverse course on climate action and reject the historic progress Democrats made toward securing a cleaner, stronger future.

And make no mistake: the progress Democrats delivered with the Inflation Reduction Act was historic. It finally put us on track to meet our climate goals, and at the same time, has already created more than 271,000 new good-paying clean energy jobs right here at home. These are jobs for electricians, construction workers, mechanics, and technicians that can’t be shipped overseas.

And of course, more than half of these jobs and clean energy projects are in districts represented by my Republican colleagues, who are right now fighting to take them away. It is unconscionable, and it defies logic. The United States now experiences a $1 billion or more extreme weather event every three weeks – that is unprecedented in our nation’s history, and it underscores just how critical it is that we reduce greenhouse gas pollution and invest in the clean energy jobs that will carry our economy into the future.

But Republicans flat-out refuse to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause. Instead, they are doubling down on their polluters over people agenda with this bill that repeals the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. This program provides incentives to drive down methane pollution – one of the most dangerous and potent greenhouse gases. Methane pollution is responsible for a whole host of health risks and a full third of the warming we experience today. 

Now we are likely to hear false claims from Republicans that this is a tax – it is not. It simply ensures that polluters – not the American people – pay for the methane pollution they cause. It corrects a market failure that currently makes it cheaper for owners and operators to waste methane rather than install or upgrade equipment to prevent leaks and flaring. That’s a real problem, because leaked and intentionally wasted natural gas never makes its way to customers, but they are nevertheless stuck with the bill. 

The Methane Emissions Reduction Program fixes that and ensures that consumers no longer pay for wasted energy or the harm that it causes. And of course, companies can avoid paying the waste emissions charge altogether by not wasting methane. Wasted methane is bad for business, bad for Americans, and bad for the climate. H.R. 1023 would allow this waste to continue to go unchecked.

The Methane Emissions Reduction Program also complements the Biden Administration’s actions to slash methane pollution from the oil and gas sector, and the international community is following suit. Last year, at COP28, countries around the world committed to accelerating their efforts to control this dangerous pollution. These commitments were possible because of the United States’ leadership in addressing methane here at home. And that's why Republican efforts to undermine methane protections are so dangerous. The Republican agenda compromises America’s global leadership and threatens our global competitiveness.

Importantly, the Methane Emissions Reduction Program brings in funds that benefit the American people. So how are Republicans paying for the repeal of this program? By repealing another key Inflation Reduction Act program – the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. This Fund invests $27 billion to mobilize financing to address the climate crisis, lower Americans’ energy bills, promote job creation, and revitalize our communities. It is a direct investment in the communities we are here to represent, and this Republican bill takes those investments away.

The Biden Administration is hard at work establishing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with nonprofits, states, and local governments having already submitted applications for funding. Republican efforts to repeal the Fund at this stage of the implementation process is robbing our communities of the money they need and deserve to grow our middle class, create new jobs, and protect our families from the most catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis. 

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1023 is a failed proposal that will never become law and helps absolutely no one except the worst corporate polluters. Big Oil and Gas don’t need more help – the American people do, and that’s why I encourage all my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

###