Republicans target environmental rules protecting parks and limiting methane

Congress begins effort to remove Obama-era protections, including measures to keep people safe when mountaintops are blown off to reach coal

Republicans have begun dismantling Obama-era environmental protections by targeting rules that restrict drilling in national parks, curb the release of methane and prevent people from being harmed when the tops of mountains are blown off to access coal.

House lawmakers are using the Congressional Review Act, which enables them to revoke federal rules imposed in the last 60 legislative days, to strip away what Republicans call "job-killing red tape" designed to tackle climate change and protect people and wildlife from harmful pollution.