Trump administration moves to terminate Biden-era methane emissions rules

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is 'terminating' a Biden-era rule that required oil and gas companies to find and fix methane leaks. The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft rule that would scrap most of the 2023 regulation, including satellite-based leak detection and limits on burning excess gas.

Trump announced the move at a campaign rally in Texas, saying it would save $45 billion and unlock 210 million barrels of oil. The rollback eases requirements on low-producing wells that account for about 5 percent of U.S. oil and gas output but more than half of industry methane emissions.

Methane traps about 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years. It makes up about 12 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The 2023 rule was projected to prevent 58 million tons of methane over 15 years, the EPA said.

Why it matters

Fewer federal requirements to find and fix methane leaks means more potent greenhouse gas escapes from oil fields, especially in Texas.

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Key Indicators

210 million barrels

Claimed oil production gain

Barrels of oil the White House says the rule change would unleash, about 10 days of U.S. consumption.

$45 billion

Claimed cost savings

Savings to consumers and producers the administration says the rollback delivers.

58 million tons

Methane prevented by 2023 rule

The EPA's own projection when it finalized the rule in December 2023.

12%

Methane share of U.S. emissions

Methane's portion of U.S. greenhouse gas output, roughly 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Donald Trump

President of the United States

Announced the methane rule termination at a Texas campaign rally

Lee Zeldin

EPA Administrator

Overseeing the proposed methane rollback

Tsion Amare

Policy expert, Environmental Defense Fund

Opposing the rollback

Darin Schroeder

Methane legal and regulatory director, Clean Air Task Force

Opposing the rollback

Organizations Involved

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal agency

Finalized the rule in 2023, now proposing its rollback

Federal agency that proposed the October 2026 rollback, rescinding the Super Emitter Program and easing leak-detection rules.

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental nonprofit

Opposing the rollback

Environmental group tracking methane emissions that opposes the rollback.

Timeline

December 2023 October 2026

4 events Latest: Yesterday

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October 2026
Trump announces methane rule termination
Latest Policy

Trump announced the termination at a Texas rally; EPA released its draft rollback.
Yesterday
March 2025
EPA halts enforcement
Policy

Trump's EPA stopped enforcing the rule and began the formal rescission process.
March 2025
2024
Texas attorney general sues over the rule
Legal

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the first lawsuit over the 2023 rule.
2024
December 2023
EPA finalizes methane rule
Regulation

EPA finalized Clean Air Act rules requiring operators to monitor wells, find leaks and cut flaring.
December 2nd, 2023

Scenarios

EPA finalizes methane rollback by end of 2027

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Trump administration officials; the EPA's published timeline

The EPA opens a public comment period, responds to objections, and finalizes the rollback before the end of Trump's term. The agency has already signaled speed, and the White House is treating the announcement as a promise to keep. The main check is the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires the agency to respond to comments before finalizing.

Courts block the methane rollback

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Environmental groups preparing litigation; the D.C. Circuit's 2017 ruling against a similar effort

Environmental and public-health groups sue after the final rule appears, arguing the EPA ignored its own findings about methane's warming potential and the health effects of leaked gas. The D.C. Circuit rejected a similar first-term Trump attempt to suspend methane rules in 2017. But courts generally defer to agencies on policy changes, and the EPA is proposing a formal revision rather than a suspension.

State rules hold the line as federal enforcement fades

Possible Resolves by Jan 1, 2028

Discussed by: Environmental Defense Fund; Colorado and New Mexico regulators

Colorado and New Mexico already enforce their own methane rules, and Pennsylvania has started implementing the old federal standard. If they keep those in place, the federal rollback's practical effect is limited to states like Texas and North Dakota. Texas emits 19 percent of U.S. methane and has repeatedly delayed its state plan, so its wells are likely to see the biggest change.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

June 2016 – July 2017

Obama-era methane rules rolled back (2016-2017)

The EPA finalized its first federal methane rules for new oil and gas sources in June 2016. Trump's first term suspended enforcement months later, and the D.C. Circuit rejected that suspension in a July 2017 ruling.

Then

The suspension was blocked in court, but the agency eventually rewrote parts of the rule.

Now

The episode showed methane rules oscillate with presidential administrations, and that courts check the most aggressive rollbacks.

Why this matters now

Today's rollback covers a broader rule that also applies to existing wells, and the EPA is proposing a formal rescission rather than a suspension.

November 2016 – March 2017

BLM methane waste rule repealed by Congress (2016-2017)

The Bureau of Land Management finalized a rule limiting venting and flaring of natural gas on public and tribal lands in November 2016. Congress repealed it in March 2017 using the Congressional Review Act, which allows fast-track repeal with simple majorities.

Then

The rule was reversed within months of the new administration taking office.

Now

It established a precedent for rapid, procedural repeal of methane rules, available only when one party controls Congress and the White House.

Why this matters now

Today's rollback runs through the executive branch alone, not Congress, using the EPA's slower administrative rulemaking process.