Rep. Collin Peterson is signing onto a Republican-led bill that would block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases.
Peterson, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of at least three Democrats co-sponsoring the measure, which was introduced Thursday.
Peterson has long been a critic of the EPA, and last year he introduced legislation that also prohibited the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
"The EPA needs to be reined in," Peterson said in a statement. "If Congress does not do something about the regulations being imposed on our farmers, ranchers and rural communities, the economic effects could be devastating."
Peterson's 2009 vote in favor of cap-and-trade legislation was unpopular in his rural district, even after he won exceptions for agriculture before giving his support. The Minnesota Republican Party accused Peterson on Thursday of trying to "rewrite history" by backing the EPA bill because of his support of the 2009 legislation.
