Republican U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) was elected as the next Senate Majority Leader, in Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S. after a U.S. Senate Republican meeting After his leadership position, he spoke to the media. November 13, 2024.
Leah Millis | Reuters
WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to prioritize four Biden-era regulatory actions to bring a congressional vote to invalidate them, a South Dakota Republican spokesman told CNBC.
Three of the four regulations were finalized as part of former President Joe Biden to encourage the transition to renewable energy sectors.
“Senate Republicans are taking action to reverse these harmful regulations to cut the traditional Chinese tape festival, which has exacerbated inflation and burdened U.S. energy,” Thune said in a statement to CNBC.
The first rule for shredding is to measure methane emission levels in oil and gas operations and impose excessive costs of producing greenhouse gases (called waste emission costs).
The second regulation would require drilling of seabed mining operations on continental shelves for a more comprehensive archaeological investigation. Part of the rule is to respond to Alaska Natives’ concerns about the destruction of ancient historic sites.
The third oil and gas-related regulations Thune will prioritize invalid rules that improve the efficiency standards of consumer water heaters emitted by gas.
All three regulations have been met with fierce opposition from industry groups.
The fourth rule that Senate Republican leaders are keen to retreat is a change in the rules governing bank mergers approved.
The Congressional Review Act grants the House and Senate the power to reverse regulations and executive rules with a simple majority vote—as long as those rules have been finalized over the past 60 legislative working days. Legislators may have about four to six months to pass the bill to repeal certain regulations.
Republicans only need a simple majority to eliminate regulations under the CRA, rather than often passing the higher barriers required for the Senate. This means that all four of Thune’s priorities are likely to pass.
Since Republicans control the House, Senate and White House, the ability to abolish Biden regulations is the latest sign of Republican power in Washington.
“The American people have given us a task that calls for opposition to these policies, and we are united in working to demolish the most resilient actions of the Biden administration, restore common sense, and enable hard-working Americans to be relieved,” Thune said.
The clock is ticking the ability of Congress to use the CRA to revoke Biden-era regulations: Any rules finalized before mid-August last year stood out from the outset, and each of these rules has its own timeline.
The Senate may use the CRA to remove more rules. The Republicans last held three items, and in 2017, they invalidated 16 regulations. Several other CRA actions are also moving through the entire house, ultimately requiring Senate approval.
Thune and his colleagues are also exploring other ways to return to Biden’s regulatory footprint if the deadline passes the CRA review.
