(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a recent political development for America’s working class, a group of Republican legislators led by Rep. August Pfluger of Texas has petitioned the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The subject of their request, detailed in a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, is repealing the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP), a component of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The letter, composed by Pfluger and endorsed by prominent Republican representatives such as Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida, and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, vehemently criticizes the MERP. They describe it as “an inappropriate and highly unworkable tax on methane emissions,” arguing that its implementation will impede technological advancement, diminish affordable energy supplies, and escalate both costs and emissions for the American energy sector. “In order to lower costs for American families, we must repeal burdensome regulation, secure supply chains and unleash American energy,” the letter emphasizes.
The MERP establishes a levy on emissions exceeding 25,000 annual tons of carbon dioxide or a comparable amount of pollutants. Companies exceeding this threshold will be obligated to meticulously gather relevant data and remit a fee starting at $900 per metric ton over the limit in 2024, escalating to $1,200 in 2025, and eventually reaching $1,500 per additional ton from 2026 onwards.
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson defended the MERP, explaining to the DCNF, “The Biden-Harris Administration through EPA is implementing the program as Congress intended, working closely with states and industry to deploy resources and develop solutions that will cut emissions at their source.”
The legislators’ letter further argues that the tax represents a “statutory codification” of compulsory emissions data collection under a specific section of the Clean Air Act. The EPA aims to modify this section to potentially expand and intensify the MERP’s scope and financial implications.
The letter warns that new taxes or fees on energy companies will inevitably escalate consumer costs, disproportionately impacting lower-income Americans. “In fact, this tax alone will drive up the cost of household energy bills for the 180 million Americans and 5.5 million businesses that rely on natural gas. At a time of persistent inflation and record energy prices, this increase is unthinkable for consumers,” the letter asserts.
The White House has not yet responded to the letter or its requests.
