Trump Says EPA Will Scrap Biden-Era Methane Rules
At a Texas rally, the president announced the end of rules on oil and gas leaks. Environmental groups say the industry shaped the rollback behind the scenes.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that his administration is "terminating" Biden-era rules that hold oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of methane. He made the announcement at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas.
"Tonight, I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers," Trump told the crowd. He called the rules "crippling" and said they had pushed prices up for small oil and gas operators.
Trump said the change would save consumers and producers $45bn and unlock 210 million barrels of oil, roughly ten days of US petroleum consumption. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the same $45bn figure in a press release and added an estimated 1.41tn cubic feet of natural gas. The proposal revises oil and gas rules under the Clean Air Act. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said it would end the "war on oil and natural gas".
The move is meant to encourage more domestic drilling. Trump is facing criticism over high fuel prices linked to the US war in Iran.
What the 2024 rule required
The 2024 rule told operators to eliminate and minimise leaking, flaring and venting of methane and volatile organic compounds, which harm human health. It was the first time Washington set nationwide limits for existing oil and gas facilities. A 2016 rule from the Obama years covered only new and modified sources.
Under a "super emitter" programme, companies had to investigate major leaks near their facilities that third parties spotted with EPA-approved remote sensing. Zeldin announced in March 2025 that the agency was reconsidering the rules.
Critics point to industry access
Fieldnotes, an oil and gas watchdog, obtained records through freedom of information requests. They show that industry groups and companies met EPA officials about methane at least 38 times in the administration's first year. Fieldnotes researcher Julia Kane said the EPA was giving the industry "exactly what they want".
Some oil and gas executives had spoken publicly in favour of the rule, the records suggest, while trade groups worked behind the scenes to gut it.
The Environmental Defense Fund calculates that operators have leaked, vented or flared $7bn worth of natural gas since the EPA said in March 2025 that it would stop enforcing the oil and gas rules. Rosalie Winn, the group's senior director and lead counsel, said the administration was seeking to limit the federal government's ability to address climate pollution in all the largest emitting sectors.
Last year the US emitted more methane from oil and gas than any other country. Methane is responsible for at least a quarter of today's warming.
Source: The Guardian