The Trump administration has proposed sharply scaling back a Biden-era rule meant to cut methane emissions from oil and gas drilling sites across the country. President Trump announced the proposal Tuesday while campaigning in Lubbock, Texas. He said the revision under the Clean Air Act would save the industry billions in production costs and spur more domestic drilling.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a press release that the Biden EPA "destructively targeted" the oil and gas sector. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, said the proposed rollback would address some challenges companies have faced in following the 2023 rules. Dustin Meyer, the group's vice president, said it looks forward to "a more workable approach."
Environmental groups say the change may end up costing the industry more. Jon Goldstein of the Environmental Defense Fund said captured natural gas can be sold, which he said offsets many costs. Methane is estimated to be 80 times more planet-warming than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
One rule the EPA wants to cut is the Methane Super Emitter Program, which is set to take effect in January 2027. It would allow the government to delegate monitoring of large methane leaks to certified third parties, including private and nonprofit satellite programs. Paasha Mahdavi, a UC Santa Barbara political science professor, said the government could act on reports from those certified groups.