President Donald Trump is considering changes to methane rules that apply to the oil and gas industry. Environmentalists are concerned the proposal could result in more air pollution.
The Trump administration says the changes could save the industry $45 billion during the life of the rollback and boost energy production through 2050. The proposal would ease a Biden-era rule meant to reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the administration has listened to Americans’ concerns. He said the administration believes that when oil and gas owners and operators can produce, consumers benefit with lower prices. Zeldin joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and National Energy Dominance Council Executive Director Jarrod Agen in supporting the president’s proposal.
“Behind every barrel of oil and every cubic foot of natural gas produced in the U.S. are millions of workers, businesses, and the heartbeat of this nation’s economy. The Biden EPA destructively targeted all this. President Trump promised to end the war on oil and natural gas, and I vowed to do my part, while protecting our environment,” Zeldin said.
Some environmental advocates sounded the alarm before the details of the plan were rolled out.
“The impact is more pollution. It’s more methane leaking into the air,” said Aaron Weiss, executive director for the Center for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan conservation group.
Methane traps substantially more heat than carbon dioxide. Weiss warned that allowing low-producing, or marginal, oil wells linked to high methane emissions to operate longer would not significantly lower costs.
“It’s just a license to pollute,” Weiss said.
The proposal could eliminate the Super Emitter Program, which requires companies to respond to credible reports of major leaks. It could also ease requirements for marginal wells.
The EPA rule affects oil and gas operators nationwide. Separately, the administration is working to scrap a Bureau of Land Management rule requiring drillers to submit waste-minimization plans when seeking permits on public lands, according to Weiss.
Weiss said venting methane wastes a fuel that could otherwise heat homes or power plants.
He urged Congress to address the issue through legislation and raised concerns about a pending permitting bill sponsored in part by Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Combined with the methane rollbacks, Weiss warned, the bill could lock in weaker pollution protections for generations. Provisions could make it “almost impossible to modify these standards,” he said, even if future evidence shows they are harming the public.
The bill is expected to face an initial vote the week after the midterm elections.
