President Donald Trump announced a proposal Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas, to scale back Biden-era rules requiring oil and gas companies to reduce methane leaks. The announcement came as the administration faces criticism over high fuel prices and seeks to encourage additional domestic drilling.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal would revise requirements for marginal wells, which produce only a small share of national oil and gas output but account for a substantial portion of methane emissions from the sector. The agency plans to consider separate categories for different types of marginal well sites rather than apply the same requirements across all operations. Industry groups and smaller producers have argued that the existing standards impose costs that threaten the viability of low-output wells.
Under the existing program, EPA notifies operators, who must investigate reported events, submit findings and repair leaks covered by applicable standards. The agency said it has legal concerns about the program and does not consider it necessary to meet Clean Air Act requirements.
Other proposed changes would revisit requirements for associated gas from oil wells, separate design and operating standards for covers and closed-vent systems, and provide greater flexibility for control-device monitoring, alerts and visible-emissions testing. The agency estimates the changes would save $45 billion, while the previous administration estimated its rule would prevent 58 million tons of methane emissions by 2038 and produce $98 billion in benefits by 2034. The proposed rule must still be formally published and subjected to public comment before the changes can be finalized.