← Back to Bills
SJRES 88118th CongressFailed / ExpiredSenate

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 "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Review of the Residual Risk and Technology Review".

Policy Area: Environmental Protection
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
Senate
Last Updated
Jan 14, 2025
Latest Action Date
May 16, 2024

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

Senate Joint Resolution 88 (SJRES 88) from the 118th Congress is a legislative measure proposing congressional disapproval of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rule in question pertains to the "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants" specifically targeting coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units, focusing on the review of residual risk and technology. The resolution was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works but ultimately failed or expired without further action. The bill does not include a summary or full text in the available data.

Bottom Line

SJRES 88 sought to disapprove an EPA rule regulating emissions from certain electric utility units but did not advance beyond committee referral and expired without passage.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The resolution targets EPA's rule on hazardous air pollutant emissions from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units.
  • It uses the congressional disapproval process under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code.
  • The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works but did not progress further and expired.
Who Benefits?

['Electric utility companies operating coal- and oil-fired steam generating units may benefit if the disapproval had passed by avoiding stricter emission standards.', "The EPA's regulatory authority is directly involved but would be limited if the resolution had succeeded."]

Potential Concerns

["The resolution could affect the EPA's ability to enforce updated emission standards, potentially impacting environmental and public health outcomes.", 'Implementation of the disapproval process may raise questions about the balance of regulatory authority between Congress and federal agencies.', 'Lack of detailed bill text and summary limits clarity on specific provisions and their implications.']

Political Context

The resolution reflects congressional oversight of EPA regulatory actions under the Congressional Review Act framework. It was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Environment and Public Works Committee but did not advance, indicating limited legislative momentum during the 118th Congress. The bill's failure or expiration suggests no consensus was reached to overturn the EPA rule at that time.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 1

GovScope reviewed 1 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

1 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['If the disapproval had passed, it could have delayed or prevented implementation of updated emission standards, potentially affecting air quality and public health.', 'Electric utilities might have experienced reduced compliance costs in the short term but faced uncertainty regarding future regulatory requirements.', 'The congressional disapproval process may influence future EPA rulemaking strategies and stakeholder engagement.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of an official bill summary and full text limits comprehensive analysis of specific provisions and their implications. The resolution's referral to committee without further action and its expired status indicate limited legislative progress. Transparency would be enhanced by access to the full rule text under review and detailed legislative analysis. Monitoring the use of congressional disapproval resolutions is important for understanding shifts in regulatory authority and environmental policy oversight.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 85%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

GovScope Intelligence Roadmap

Future bill intelligence will connect sponsors, committee referrals, related votes, campaign finance, disclosures, and stock trades into one legislative intelligence view.

Enterprise Ready