U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R-San Angelo) has voiced concerns that the Biden administration's efforts to increase regulation of oil and gas producers will exacerbate the financial strain on Americans already grappling with record-breaking inflation. The Republican legislator from the Permian Basin, along with his colleagues Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Lubbock) and Tracey Mann (R-KS), have introduced a bill aimed at overturning the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) methane regulations that target American energy producers.
"The President should be promoting energy independence to lower costs and strengthen our national security," said Pfluger.
Odessa American reports that Pfluger, who serves as the chairman of the House Energy Action Team, is leading an initiative to persuade EPA head Michael Regan to revise the methane fee included in the Inflation Reduction Act. According to this publication, Pfluger and 54 other Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to Regan stating that the methane fee "creates an unworkable regulatory structure for oil [and] gas producers."
Arrington, in a press release, claimed that since assuming presidency on January 20, 2021, Biden "has unleashed a whole-of-government assault on domestic energy production." He accused the 46th president of using regulatory power to appease climate activists at the expense of American citizens. Like Pfluger, Arrington fears that this rule could negatively impact American consumers and energy prices while giving an advantage to perceived adversaries like Russia and China.
The press release also stated that both Ben Shepperd, President of Permian Basin Petroleum Association, and Jeff Eshelman, President and CEO of Independent Petroleum Association of America, support these lawmakers' efforts to curb EPA's powers. It was reported that eight co-sponsors support this legislation in the House while a companion bill has been filed in Senate.
Pfluger's congressional website indicates that he is currently serving his second term in Washington D.C., representing Texas's 11th congressional district. This district encompasses several counties including Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Killeen, Brownwood, Llano among others.