House GOP plans floor vote next week to block EPA climate rules

House GOP leadership plans to bring legislation to the floor next week that strips EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gases, a spokeswoman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Friday.

Thwarting EPA is a priority for House Republicans and some conservative Democrats, and the bill is highly likely to pass the House. But it lacks 60 Senate votes.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton’s (R-Mich.) bill cleared his panel last month, and Cantor pledged quick floor action at the time. Cantor spokeswoman Laena Fallon said Friday that the “current plan” is to bring up the measure next week.

But the House, Senate and White House are also racing to strike a deal on fiscal year 2011 spending to avert a government shutdown when the current stopgap spending plan expires April 8.

In the Senate, GOP leadership is seeking a vote on attaching the same block-EPA bill to small-business legislation, but the vote has been delayed several times. It could occur next week as well.