The GPA Midstream Association took legal action against the federal government’s upcoming waste emissions charge (WEC), the organization announced Feb. 4, adding an industrial voice to the group of state governments that have also taken the new law to court.

GPA Midstream is an industrial group representing U.S. midstream companies. The organization filed a petition for review on the proposed law with the Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, and another petition for reconsideration with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The waste emissions charge applies to any oil and natural gas facility that annually emits more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 and deals with methane releases. The WEC retroactively starts at $900 per metric ton for reported emissions in 2024 and increases to $1,200 per metric ton in 2025.

The EPA finalized the rule, originally part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, in November 2024. In January, West Virginia became the 23rd state to join a lawsuit against the proposal, which is under review by the D.C. Court of Appeals.

President Donald Trump has also signed an executive order pausing financial support for Inflation Reduction Act programs. 

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