DC Update From the US Oil & Gas Association - 2.10.2024

You Ain't Missing Nuthin

February 9, 2024

What Have You Missed in Congress this Week? Not Much….

If you haven’t been following what’s going on in Congress the last couple of weeks, don’t worry because you haven’t missed anything. Republicans in the House and Senate have been twisting themselves in knots trying to get to an agreement within their ranks and what to do about the border and funding for Israel and Ukraine. After weeks of work, they do not have a path forward. As a result, there were, in the words of the Washington Post, some “bungled votes.”

The problem is that lack of numbers leads to a lack of stability day to day. With no stable Republican majority in the House, literally one cannot count on a single vote to pass. Some Republicans would rather blow things up than make incremental positive changes.  This is not a recipe for passing many bills and as a result, Congress has not passed hardly anything, of note. 

While I'm not overly concerned about Congress, it is frustrating when the lack of a path forward is that it gets in the way of other priorities such as energy. The House had considered having an "energy week" next week to highlight differences between House Republicans and President Biden, but that has now been pushed to March.    

EPA ratchets down PM 2.5 regulations in an effort to reduce industrial activity in the U.S.

Earlier this week, EPA lowered the standard by particulate matter 2.5 microns (PM 2.5) and smaller by 25 percent. As E&E News states, this will “add to the long-term pressure for a shift away from fossil fuels.” There is no doubt that the point of this regulation is to attack any activity in the United States that emits anything, including activities that increase dust.