Environment & Climate

Trump administration plans to ease EPA methane rules for oil, gas

A draft reviewed by The Washington Sun would end a Biden-era leak program and ease rules for low-producing wells.

Updated Oct 27, 2026 · 22:21 UTC2 reports

The short version

The Trump administration plans to announce a proposal Tuesday to roll back Biden-era oil and gas emissions rules.[The Washington Sun]
A draft EPA rule reviewed by The Washington Sun would rescind the Biden-era super-emitter program for finding large methane leaks.[The Washington Sun]
The draft would also reduce requirements for marginal wells producing 15 barrels a day or less, which account for about half of sector methane emissions.[The Washington Sun]
The administration says the changes would save $45 billion, while Biden-era EPA officials said stricter rules would yield roughly $97 billion in benefits.[The Washington Sun]

The Trump administration plans to announce a proposal Tuesday to roll back Biden-era emissions regulations for the oil and gas industry.[The Washington Sun]
A draft of the EPA's proposed rule reviewed by The Washington Sun would rescind the Biden-era super-emitter program for finding and repairing large methane leaks.[The Washington Sun]
EPA officials propose reducing requirements for marginal oil wells producing 15 barrels of oil a day or less, which the draft says account for about half of the sector's methane emissions.[The Washington Sun]
The Trump administration says the proposed changes should save $45 billion through lower compliance costs, lower commodity prices, and increased fuel production.[The Washington Sun]
EPA officials under Biden said the stricter emissions rules would have led to roughly $97 billion in net climate and ozone health benefits.[The Washington Sun]
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said the methane rule would have cost $18 billion and was holding back the U.S. energy industry.[Associated Press]

The $45 billion savings estimate is attributed to the administration and was not independently verified by the reporting.[The Washington Sun]
Competing cost and benefit figures for the Biden-era rules conflict, with Zeldin citing $18 billion in costs and Biden-era officials citing roughly $97 billion in benefits.[The Washington Sun · Associated Press]
The proposal had not yet been formally announced at the time of reporting, and the draft text may change before release.[The Washington Sun · Associated Press]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.