When Utah U.S. Sen. John Curtis celebrated his first piece of legislation passing in the Senate, he had the support of Oklahoma Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin.
They voted in support of the Curtis resolution to overturn a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency Rule. The final vote was 52-46 to undo the 2024 rule that reestablished a “Once In, Always In” policy under the Clean Air Act. The approval sent the resolution to the House.
The Curtis resolution targeted the EPA rule which he contended penalized chemical manufacturers, refineries and energy producers even after they made environmental improvements.
“The rule put forward under the former administration shut the door on progress. It told companies that no matter how much they invest to reduce harmful emissions, they would still be punished with permanent red tape,” Curtis said, reported the Deseret News.
Supporters of the rule claimed that doing away with it might lead to a large increase in pollution. But other groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers made their own claims, stating the Biden policy removed “incentives for emissions reduction” and imposed costs “without measurable environmental benefit.”
