Congress blocks EPA air-pollution rule for Indiana, weakening protections
S.J.Res. 60 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Emissions Budget and Allowance Allocations for Indiana Under the Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update". · Filed by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) · Introduced Jun 27, 2025 · Reported out
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What it does
This joint resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block an EPA rule that set emissions budgets and allowance allocations for Indiana under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. If passed, the rule would be nullified and have no legal effect, reverting Indiana's air-pollution compliance obligations to their prior state.
Why we flagged it
The bill uses the Congressional Review Act—a fast-track procedural tool—to disapprove an EPA emissions rule. It is functionally a deregulation measure that removes air-quality protections, not a substantive legislative proposal. The mechanism is procedurally transparent but the policy outcome is deregulatory.
What the text implies
- Disapproval under the CRA also prevents the EPA from issuing a substantially similar rule without new congressional authorization, creating a regulatory freeze on Indiana emissions policy.
- Indiana power plants and industrial emitters benefit from relaxed compliance obligations; costs shift to public health and downwind states (Ohio, Kentucky, etc.) that receive Indiana's pollution.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Indiana coal-fired power plants; Indiana industrial emitters (steel, refining, chemical manufacturing); Energy-intensive manufacturers in Indiana