Overview
- President Trump unveiled the proposal at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, announcing an EPA plan to ease methane rules for oil and gas producers.
- The draft would ease inspection and repair requirements for low‑producing “marginal” wells, rescind the EPA’s Super Emitter Program for third‑party leak detection, and relax limits on routine flaring.
- The EPA says the changes would cut compliance costs by about $45 billion and could unlock roughly 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from 2027 through 2050.
- Environmental and public health groups say weakening the rules will raise methane emissions and local air pollution, while industry and small‑producer groups argue the rollbacks will preserve marginal well jobs and income.
- The proposal will be published for a notice‑and‑comment period and public hearings before any final rule, and legal challenges from environmental groups are widely expected; the Biden‑era rule finalized in 2024 had been projected to prevent about 58 million tons of methane by 2038.