Trump Ends Methane Leak Rules for Oil and Gas Firms

The White House announced Tuesday that it is terminating federal regulations requiring oil and gas companies to monitor and fix large methane leaks. President Donald Trump made the declaration at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, stating the move would save consumers and producers $45 billion. He described the previous standards as costly barriers that drove up prices for small energy operators.

The administration claims the action will unlock 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That volume of oil is equivalent to roughly 10 days of total US petroleum consumption. Trump framed the decision as a response to high fuel prices, which he linked partly to the ongoing US war in Iran. The goal is to encourage more domestic drilling by removing what he called unnecessary compliance burdens.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin issued a press release praising the move as an effort to end the war on oil and natural gas. The agency said the proposal would reduce costs for businesses, including small firms running marginal wells. The change alters regulations under the Clean Air Act that were finalized in 2024. Those rules required operators to minimize the leaking, flaring, and venting of methane and volatile organic compounds.

The 2024 standard was the first nationwide limit on methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities. A 2016 rule from the Obama administration only covered new or modified sources. The newer regulation included a super emitter program. Under that program, companies had to investigate major leaks detected by third parties using EPA-approved remote sensing technology. The agency began reconsidering these rules in March 2025.

US oil and gas operations emitted more methane last year than any other country. Methane accounts for at least a quarter of current global warming. Fieldnotes, an oil and gas watchdog group, stated that industry representatives met with EPA officials at least 38 times during the first year of the administration. Researcher Julia Kane called this an extraordinary level of access. She noted that industry groups often worked behind the scenes to delay and weaken regulations despite public support.

In one recorded call, Lee Fuller of the Independent Petroleum Association of America described an EPA meeting as fascinating. He said staff were suddenly willing to discuss changes the industry had sought for years. Trump acknowledged Harold Hamm, founder of Continental Resources, at a rally in Corpus Christi earlier on Tuesday. Continental Resources wrote to the EPA in April opposing the rule's ban on routine flaring of associated gas.

The Environmental Defense Fund calculates that operators have leaked, vented, or flared $7 billion worth of natural gas since the EPA paused enforcement in March 2025. Rosalie Winn, the group's senior director, said the administration is using this action to limit federal power over climate pollution. She argued that the change allows the worst polluters to increase profits while wasting energy that American consumers pay for.