Trump is making it easier for fossil fuel companies to leak methane
News Source
β’2026-10-27T14:25:13-04:00
π° What Happened
The Trump administration is weakening rules that stop methane from leaking out of oil and gas equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the change today. EPA chief Lee Zeldin says it will save the industry $45 billion.
The plan undoes Biden-era rules that were supposed to cut methane leaks by 80 percent in 14 years. It targets "marginal wells" - old wells that make little fuel but leak a lot of gas. Those wells cause half the industry's methane emissions while producing only 6 percent of US oil and gas, ProPublica found.
The EPA also plans to end the Super Emitter Program. That program warned operators when a site was releasing huge amounts of methane, 100 kilograms an hour or more. Trump is set to announce the move at a rally in Lubbock, Texas.
π The Backstory
Methane is the main ingredient in what the industry calls "natural gas." It is also a strong greenhouse gas, about 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. It has caused roughly 30 percent of global warming so far.
Under President Biden, the EPA wrote new rules to plug leaks from wells, pipes and tanks. The idea was simple: methane leaves the air in about a decade, so fixing leaks slows warming faster than almost any other step.
Trump has spent his second term cutting rules on oil, gas and coal. Supporters say the old rules cost too much and slowed US energy production. Health and environmental groups say the rollback puts families near drilling sites at risk.
π― Why It Matters
Leaking methane heats the planet fast and helps form smog, which harms lungs, especially for children and older people. Weaker rules mean more leaks near homes, schools and farms.
The Trump administration is weakening rules that stop methane from leaking out of oil and gas equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the change today. EPA chief Lee Zeldin says it will save the industry $45 billion.
The plan undoes Biden-era rules that were supposed to cut methane leaks by 80 percent in 14 years. It targets "marginal wells" - old wells that make little fuel but leak a lot of gas. Those wells cause half the industry's methane emissions while producing only 6 percent of US oil and gas, ProPublica found.
The EPA also plans to end the Super Emitter Program. That program warned operators when a site was releasing huge amounts of methane, 100 kilograms an hour or more. Trump is set to announce the move at a rally in Lubbock, Texas.
Methane is the main ingredient in what the industry calls "natural gas." It is also a strong greenhouse gas, about 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. It has caused roughly 30 percent of global warming so far.
Under President Biden, the EPA wrote new rules to plug leaks from wells, pipes and tanks. The idea was simple: methane leaves the air in about a decade, so fixing leaks slows warming faster than almost any other step.
Trump has spent his second term cutting rules on oil, gas and coal. Supporters say the old rules cost too much and slowed US energy production. Health and environmental groups say the rollback puts families near drilling sites at risk.
Leaking methane heats the planet fast and helps form smog, which harms lungs, especially for children and older people. Weaker rules mean more leaks near homes, schools and farms.