EPA Proposes Cut to Methane Rule That Would Save Industry Billions

The Trump administration has proposed scaling back regulations on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, estimated to be 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period. In 2023, the Biden administration finalized rules to limit these emissions from drilling sites across the country.

President Trump announced the proposal on Tuesday while campaigning in Lubbock, Texas. He stated that the revision, made under the Clean Air Act, would save the industry billions in production costs and encourage more domestic drilling. The timing coincides with Republican concerns over voter sentiment regarding high gas prices ahead of the midterm elections.

Lee Zeldin, the EPA Administrator, issued a statement criticizing the previous administration's approach. He said, "Behind every barrel of oil and every cubic foot of natural gas produced in the U.S. are millions of workers, businesses, and the heartbeat of this nation's economy. The Biden EPA destructively targeted all this."

Dustin Meyer, vice president at the American Petroleum Institute, said the trade group supports the change. In a statement, he said, "We look forward to working with the Trump administration on a more workable approach that supports American energy production, provides greater regulatory certainty and advances continued emissions reductions."

Environmental groups argue the rollback may increase costs for producers. Jon Goldstein, associate vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, noted that methane is essentially natural gas. He explained that capturing more gas prevents leaks and flaring, resulting in a larger sellable product that offsets compliance costs.

Goldstein added, "That is harmful to our energy security, and it's harmful to taxpayers that ought to be seeing royalty and tax revenue collected off of this gas that's going to waste."

The proposal targets the Methane Super Emitter Program, which is set to take effect in January 2027. This program would allow certified third parties, including private and nonprofit satellite operators, to monitor facilities for large leaks. Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, explained the mechanism.

"The easiest way to think about it is that if the government is alerted to a big leak, then if it's reported by certified third parties, then they could use that information," Mahdavi said. He added that the government needs these reports to prosecute violators, noting, "[The government] needs help from other people to say, 'Hey! You're breaking the law!'"

The rule changes would also loosen restrictions on low-volume, marginally economic oil wells. Goldstein countered the assumption that these wells produce small amounts of pollution. "These old sort of end-of-life wells nearing the end of their production life are actually responsible for the lion's share of methane pollution from the [oil and gas] production sector," he said.

The EPA plans to publish the proposed rule changes in the Federal Register. Once published, the agency will hold a public comment period of at least 45 days, which will include a public hearing.