The House approved legislation Thursday to ease air pollution and permitting requirements, part of the Republicans’ quest to update the Clean Air Act.
H.R. 6409, the “Foreign Emissions and Nonattainment Clarification for Economic Stability (FENCES) Act,” passed in a 220-208 vote. The bill, from Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), would make it easier for states and localities to discount air pollution from sources outside the United States when calculating their emissions compliance numbers.
Republicans have framed the bill as a narrow change in the Clean Air Act to make sure states are not penalized for natural emissions — like wildfire smoke — that come from other countries. Six Democrats crossed the aisle to support the measure and one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted against it.
“The ‘FENCES Act’ protects manufacturers and communities from unnecessary compliance burdens caused by events beyond their control, such as pollution from China or foreign wildfires or dust storms, while upholding environmental standards under the Clean Air Act,” said Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) during floor debate on the bill Wednesday.
