President Donald Trump will announce an EPA proposal on Tuesday evening gutting Biden-era regulations that placed strict limits on methane emissions from oil and gas drilling operations, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Methane is released during the flaring of natural gas, which takes place at oil drilling operations that lack expensive capture technology. For years, environmentalists and Democrats have called for stricter regulations, including rules barring flaring, that target methane, which activists refer to as a "super pollutant" and is more potent than carbon dioxide.
Overall, Tuesday's action removing methane regulations—which represents the latest major energy-related announcement Trump has made in the run-up to the upcoming midterm election—is projected to save Americans $45 billion in energy costs and lead to an extra 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas produced nationwide, a Trump EPA official briefed on the announcement told the Free Beacon.
Those are significant numbers: It is equivalent to about 10 days' worth of oil consumption and 15 days of natural gas consumption in the United States. Oil fuels the nation's planes, trucks, and cars while natural gas is by far the largest source of electricity generation in the country, according to federal data.
Under the proposal, the EPA would ease standards for smaller low-producing wells and rescind the "Super Emitter Program" that uses third parties to detect large methane releases.
The agency would also remove a requirement eliminating some routine flaring of natural gas.
Former president Joe Biden finalized those regulations with the backing of climate advocacy organizations in 2024. At the time, then-EPA administrator Michael Regan said the rules would slash methane emissions and "ensure the U.S. leads in the global transition to a clean energy economy."
"From the largest producers to families with a single well on their land that provides for their retirement and income, what we learned was that the Biden regulations were unworkable and were holding back American energy dominance without delivering real, tangible environmental benefits," an administration official said on a press call with reporters earlier Tuesday.
"The Trump EPA is bringing common sense back to environmental protection," the official continued.
Trump is slated to announce the new rules alongside EPA administrator Lee Zeldin during a campaign rally for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton in Lubbock, Texas, which is located in the heart of the oil-rich Permian Basin, on Tuesday evening. Drilling operations in the Permian Basin, which is the highest-producing oil and gas field in the United States, have been particularly impacted by the regulations. According to an industry report, the Biden-era rules reduced oil production in the Permian Basin by up to 6 percent.
Trump's announcement, in addition to other recently announced energy-related actions, may partially assuage some concerns around energy affordability, which remains a key issue for voters ahead of the midterm election. Gasoline prices are currently far higher than their historical average while electricity prices are also stubbornly high.
"Americans must be able to afford to heat their homes in the winter and fill up their car and drive to work," Zeldin said during a meeting with oil and gas executives where he previewed the proposal. "They can't do that when the people producing the energy are weighed down by unnecessary burdens. The Trump EPA is committed to fixing this so the U.S. can reach its full energy potential."
It comes as Paxton's opponent, Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, continues to face questions about his claimed support for the state's important oil and gas industry. While Talarico has promised to "fight for the good-paying oil and gas jobs that power our economy," he previously championed a slew of far-left climate policies.
Last week, the Free Beacon reported that Talarico once advocated in favor of eliminating a key tax exemption that saves the oil industry and, by extension, consumers about $1 billion every year.
And the Free Beacon reported earlier this year that, as a state representative, Talarico authored a March 2021 bill to "ensure every public school student in Texas has a strong science-based understanding of human-caused climate change and its consequences," something he said would "inspire a new generation of climate activists." He also introduced the Texas Climate Action Act, which would have required the state to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030 and by 90 percent by 2050, figures that are nearly identical to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D., N.Y.) Green New Deal.
