Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee muscled through a far-reaching package of proposed Clean Air Act changes Wednesday over heated objections from Democrats on the panel.
On a string of party-line votes, the committee approved seven bills that would cumulatively reshape the foundation for setting EPA’s most important air quality standards; overhaul a key industrial permitting program; and make it easier for states to blame other countries for their pollution problems.
The lockstep approvals set the stage for House action in the near future. In a markup session that intermittently spanned almost six hours, GOP lawmakers described the legislation as essential to sustaining economic growth. Democrats derided the package as a threat to public health and for the benefit of polluting businesses.
Afterwards, E&C Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) hailed the committee for advancing legislation that would reform Clean Air Act permitting and “unleash American energy.”
