Key Republicans outlining proposal in coming weeks to block EPA climate authority

A coalition of Republicans will outline a proposal in the coming weeks to permanently block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (Mich.), the panel's energy subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (Ky.) and Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.) said Tuesday that they are working together on the proposal.

"[I]n the coming weeks, we will outline a path forward to permanently eliminate the threat of greenhouse gas regulation through the Clean Air Act. This Congress has no intention of allowing the administration to regulate that which it has been unable to legislate," a statement from the lawmakers said.

Staff from the lawmakers' offices have met with a number of industry groups to get feedback on their proposal.

The proposal to block EPA's climate authority comes as some lawmakers, including Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) have called for a two-year delay in the agency's climate rules.

Upton had previously signaled his support for a proposal to block EPA's authority until relevant lawsuits snaked their way through the courts. But it now appears that he and his colleagues will push to permanently block the agency's climate authority.

The EPA has begun including greenhouse gases in Clean Air Act permits for large new facilities or those that make major modifications. And it is in the process of developing broad greenhouse gas standards for power plants and refineries.