Trump Says He Is 'Terminating' Biden-Era Methane Limits on Oil and Gas Drilling
Announcing the rollback at a Texas rally, the president said it would unlock 210 million barrels of oil; environmental groups called it a free pass for polluters.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is "terminating" a Biden-era rule that aimed to cut planet-warming methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, a move meant to encourage more domestic production as he faces criticism over high fuel prices during the war in Iran.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Trump said the change would save companies and consumers billions of dollars and unlock 210 million barrels of oil, about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption. "I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs," he said. He claimed the Biden plan "crushed the small operators" with crippling regulations.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin previewed the changes last month. They would eliminate the agency's "Super Emitter Program," which requires companies to investigate and repair major methane releases from oil and natural gas facilities, and set less restrictive standards for small oil and gas wells. Zeldin has said the rule would have cost $18 billion and was holding back the U.S. energy industry.
Methane is responsible for about a third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, scientists estimate. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source. The invisible gas leaks from equipment or is released or burned off as a waste product by drillers. In the short term it is far more potent than carbon dioxide, which is why cutting it has become a global priority in recent years.
The Biden rule was announced by officials including then-Vice President Kamala Harris at the 2023 U.N. climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier regulations covered only new wells. The Biden rule extended to existing ones and would have required operators to plug leaks. Federal officials at the time said it would prevent an estimated 58 million tons, or 52.6 million metric tonnes, of methane emissions by 2038 and reduce other pollutants that harm health. By 2034 it was projected to yield $98 billion in benefits, a figure derived from the future "social costs" of greenhouse gases for public health and the environment. Trump's EPA rejects that accounting approach.
Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said the rollback gives a "free pass" to companies at the expense of American consumers. "EPA should be fighting this waste, not making it easier," he said, adding that the leaked gas could be captured and used to provide energy.
The announcement fits a broader pattern. Trump and congressional Republicans have been methodically dismantling climate policies enacted under former President Joe Biden, including revoking a scientific finding central to U.S action on greenhouse gases, lowering fuel economy standards for vehicles, and moving to repeal emission restrictions for coal and natural gas power plants. As with those actions, the methane rollback is likely to face legal challenges once it is formally finalized.
