In a surprise, GOP-controlled Senate votes to keep Obama-era rule curbing methane emissions

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

published 10 May 2017

On Wednesday, the GOP-controlled Senate failed to pass a measure that would have repealed an Obama-era regulation cutting methane emissions. Three Republicans — Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), and, perhaps most unexpectedly, John McCain (Ariz.) — joined Democrats in voting against the repeal, resulting in 51 no votes and just 49 yes votes. The Washington Post noted this marked the first failed use of the Congressional Review Act — which lets lawmakers "overturn rules within 60 days of their adoption" — since Trump assumed office.

The vote was an unexpected win for environmental advocates. The rule, issued in November 2016, curbed emissions "from gas wells on public and tribal lands." While it's safe for now, Axios reported the Interior Department has already said it would "review the regulation, as required by an executive order" that President Trump signed.