U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, made the following statement regarding the recently released White House interagency guidance on methane from which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin to consider regulating greenhouse gases from oil and gas producers.

"President Obama's methane strategy clearly gives the impression that the Administration is planning to put unnecessary burdens on one of the brightest spots of the American economy," said Vitter. "Energy producers have been reducing emissions without any additional regulation, and new needless rules will inevitably harm our manufacturing renaissance and any hopes of a full recovery, for no reason other than appeasing far-left environmentalists."

The White House guidance focuses on methane emissions, which would affect and decelerate the production of domestic natural gas, as well as the coal and agricultural industries.

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