Republicans to introduce bill to block EPA climate rules Thursday

Republicans will officially introduce on Thursday a bill to permanently block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill will be introduced by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) in the Senate and Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) in the House.

Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Upton and Whitfield floated a draft version of the legislation last month. Upton is the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Whitfield chairs the panel's Energy subcommittee.

The bill would permanently revoke EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. It comes after House Republicans passed a spending bill that would block funding for the agency's climate rules through the end of September.

It's unclear which lawmakers will co-sponsor the legislation, but Whitfield said Tuesday that he hopes to introduce the bill with co-sponsorship from Democrats.