Trump ends methane drilling rules

The administration will no longer require oil and gas companies to fix major methane leaks under a specific federal program. President Donald Trump announced the termination of the rule on Tuesday. This action removes the EPA's Super Emitter Program, which mandated that firms investigate and repair significant releases of the gas.

Trump stated the change will save consumers and producers $45 billion. He claimed the move would unlock 210 million barrels of oil. That volume equals roughly ten days of U.S. petroleum consumption. The decision follows his criticism of high fuel prices linked to the conflict in Iran.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previewed these changes last month. He said the new standards would be less restrictive for small oil and gas wells. Zeldin argued the previous rule held back the U.S. energy industry and would have cost $18 billion. His agency rejects the previous administration's calculation of the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions.

Methane accounts for about one third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. It is far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. The gas leaks from equipment or is burned off as waste. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of this emission.

The Biden-era rule, announced in 2023 and published in 2024, aimed to prevent 58 million tons of methane emissions by 2038. It regulated existing wells, not just new ones. It required operators to plug leaks from smaller wells. These smaller wells produce only 6% of the nation's oil and gas but account for up to half of all methane emissions from the sector.

The rule was designed to work with a methane fee passed in the 2022 climate law. That fee charged up to $1,500 per metric ton of excess emissions. It was the first direct government fee on greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Congress repealed the fee weeks after Trump took office. The EPA also delayed the original rule's inspection requirements by 18 months last year.

Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp called the rollback a free pass for companies. He said it comes at the expense of American consumers. Krupp stated that the EPA should fight the waste rather than making it easier to release. The move is part of a wider effort by Republicans to dismantle climate policies enacted under former President Joe Biden.

Trump made the announcement during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas. He was supporting Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Trump said Biden's plan crushed small operators with crippling regulations. He described the methane regulations as expensive and unnecessary.