Trump Announces End to Biden-Era Methane Rules for Low-Producing Oil and Gas Wells

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency will scrap Biden-era restrictions on methane emissions from thousands of low-producing oil and gas wells, announcing the move at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas. Speaking in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Trump called the rules expensive and unnecessary and said ending them would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock 210 million barrels of oil. The EPA's own analysis, however, concluded the change would at best cut gasoline prices next year by about 0.14%. Methane is the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas, and oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane emissions, according to The Associated Press. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said last month the agency would end its Super Emitter Program, which requires companies to find and fix major leaks. The administration is pushing to raise domestic energy production amid high fuel prices and the U.S. war with Iran. Europe has become a crucial market for U.S. gas since the invasion of Ukraine and is preparing its own methane rules.

Right-leaning outlets had the most favorable framing. Fox Business leads with Trump's rally announcement and his $45 billion and 210 million barrel figures, quotes him directly, and ties the move to energy production and fuel prices, without the EPA's 0.14% estimate in the excerpt. National Review's headline calls the rollback welcome, and its excerpt says that even if administration projections are optimistic, the changes point energy policy in the right direction. Semafor, the alternative outlet, differs in angle: it calls the move more a favor to small producers than to Big Oil, cites the EPA's small price effect, notes that oil CEOs and trade groups have backed some methane regulation, and warns that Europe's market-access rules could give it more regulatory sway. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative outlets had.