EPA proposes rolling back Biden-era methane rules

The Environmental Protection Agency will propose rolling back the 2024 methane rules for oil and gas producers, ending third-party super-emitter reporting and easing requirements on low-output wells, in a plan the agency estimates would save consumers and businesses about $45 billion.

Why it matters: Methane rules set the compliance cost base for US oil and gas, especially for the small, low-output wells that make up most of the country's well count, and the proposal opens a rulemaking fight a week before the midterm elections.

Data as of Update 2026-10-27T22:21:03-04:00: the story is now sourced to the EPA's own news release of October 27, 2026, read in full in this run via the live browser; the release is the source for the five proposed changes, the $45 billion savings estimate, the 210 million barrel and 1.41 trillion cubic foot production estimates and the comment period. The 2027 to 2050 period for the production estimates is from The Hill, attributing an official; the EPA release does not state that period with its headline figures. The Environmental Defense Fund reaction is from The Guardian's report, read in full in this run. Earlier version: written from Reuters reporting read in full, corroborated by The Hill and The Guardian reports in the feed pool, before the EPA release was obtained. The US Environmental Protection Agency is logged in SOURCES-TO-IMPLEMENT.md from this run. Developing item.

President Donald Trump told a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening that his administration was officially terminating the Biden-era methane regulations, announcing an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to roll back the 2024 rules that required oil and gas operators to find and fix leaks and to check wells regularly for escaping methane.

The EPA’s own release lists five proposed changes: separate standards for marginal wells, which it says account for roughly four of every five producing wells in the country; rescinding the Super Emitter Program, which certified third-party monitors to flag large leaks; splitting the closed vent system standard so operational requirements allow for repairs; restoring 95 percent efficient flaring as the benchmark for associated gas instead of requiring it to reach a sales line; and technical flexibility for control devices. The agency estimates the changes would save consumers and businesses about $45 billion and support an additional 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of gas, a gain The Hill put at 2027 to 2050, citing an official.

The plan is a proposal, not a final rule: the EPA will take public comment for at least 45 days, including a public hearing, after the proposal appears in the Federal Register. The Environmental Defense Fund said the administration was curtailing the federal government’s ability to address climate pollution in the largest emitting sectors, The Guardian reported.

EPA proposes rolling back Biden-era methane rules

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