EPA Proposes Rolling Back Methane Rules in Oil and Gas Sector

The federal government is preparing to weaken regulations designed to limit methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The proposed changes target rules finalized in 2023 under the previous administration, which aimed to reduce leaks at drilling sites across the United States. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, estimated to be 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period.

President Trump announced the initiative on Tuesday while campaigning in Lubbock, Texas. He stated that the revision under the Clean Air Act would save the industry billions of dollars in production costs and encourage more domestic drilling. The move comes as Republican lawmakers face voter scrutiny over high fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections.

Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, defended the proposal in a press release. He argued that the Biden-era rules targeted the economic foundation of the sector. "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," Zeldin said.

The American Petroleum Institute, the primary trade group for the industry, supported the rollback. Dustin Meyer, the group's vice president, said the new approach would provide regulatory certainty and support energy production. Industry leaders had opposed the 2023 rules, citing compliance challenges.

Environmental advocates argue the rollback will increase costs by allowing more gas to escape. Jon Goldstein, an associate vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, noted that capturing methane prevents it from leaking or being flared. "And so if you're capturing more natural gas, you're not allowing it to leak out, you're not allowing it to be flared, you have more product that you can sell," Goldstein said. He added that lost gas represents lost royalty and tax revenue.

The proposal specifically targets the Methane Super Emitter Program, which is scheduled to take effect in January 2027. This program would allow the government to rely on certified third parties, including private satellite operators, to detect and report large leaks. Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, explained that these third parties help the government identify facilities breaking the law. Without them, he said, it will be more difficult for regulators to spot large leaks because methane is invisible and expensive to detect.

The EPA also plans to loosen rules for low-volume marginal wells. These are older wells that produce small amounts of oil and gas. Goldstein disputed the assumption that these wells produce minor emissions, stating that satellites show end-of-life wells are responsible for a large share of methane pollution in the production sector. The agency will hold a public hearing and accept comments for at least 45 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register.