EPA Proposes Easing Methane Rules for Oil and Gas Operators

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed weakening Biden-era limits on methane from oil and gas operations, a move President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday night, according to Grist. “Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs,” Trump said.

Oil & Gas Journal reported that the proposal is a second round of revisions to the 2024 rules and would eliminate the “super-emitter” program, which lets EPA-certified third parties use satellites, aircraft and other remote sensing to flag large methane releases that operators must then investigate. The agency said it has legal concerns about the program and does not consider it necessary to meet the Clean Air Act’s requirements.

The plan also eases requirements for marginal or low-producing wells, with two alternative approaches for creating separate categories of well sites, and revisits limits on flaring associated natural gas, to give producers “more flexibility,” the journal said. Other changes affect covers, closed-vent systems and control-device monitoring. The EPA estimates the changes would save industry $45 billion, though OGJ noted the agency had not released the proposed rule or the analysis behind the figure. In April, the EPA finalized a narrower set of revisions it estimated would save $2.5 billion.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previewed the plan on Oct. 7 at an oil and gas association meeting in New Mexico, saying producers found the 2024 rules costly and unworkable. Grist quoted Zeldin: “The Trump EPA is committed to fixing this so the [United States] can reach its full energy potential.” The agency has called the rules a “monumental threat” to the economy and an “undue burden” on the industry, Grist reported.

The central dispute is over the low-producing wells, often called stripper wells. The EPA itself cited research indicating that marginal wells produced about 7% of American oil and gas output in 2021 but were responsible for 60% of methane emissions tied to gas production and 40% of those tied to oil production, OGJ reported. Grist put the shares at about 5% of output and more than half of the industry’s emissions.

Trump framed the change as relief for small operators. Experts told Grist that picture is incomplete: Darin Schroeder of the Clean Air Task Force said more than half of such wells are owned by large companies operating over a thousand wells, adding, “Just because they’re a marginal producer doesn’t mean they’re a marginal polluter.” Environmental groups warned about climate and health effects. Methane makes up about 12% of American greenhouse gas emissions and is roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years, Grist said. Tsion Amare of the Environmental Defense Fund called cutting oil and gas methane “the fastest way to fight climate change.” Grist also noted that pollutants released with methane, including benzene, can worsen ozone and health risks near wells; nearly 1 in 10 Americans live in a county with more than 1,000 stripper wells.

Industry and the administration argue the 2024 requirements are too costly, especially for small producers, and that easing them lowers energy costs for consumers. The proposal is not final. OGJ said it could face legal challenges, and it would need to go through public comment before taking effect. Congress and the administration have already eliminated the Biden-era methane waste emissions charge, OGJ reported.