2 minPolitics
Trump says he will roll back Biden-era methane rules for oil and gas companies
President Donald Trump announced at a Texas rally that his administration is terminating Biden-era regulations on methane leaks from oil and gas operations, citing projected savings for consumers and producers.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening that his administration is terminating Biden-era regulations that hold oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of methane, a potent planet-warming gas. He made the announcement at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, ahead of an election in which fuel prices are playing a central role.
Trump told the crowd, « Tonight, I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers, » according to coverage of the event. He described the rules as « crippling regulations on methane that caused prices to skyrocket » for small oil and gas operators. He said the change would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock 210 million barrels of oil, an amount equivalent to about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption.
Methane is the main component of natural gas and traps far more heat than carbon dioxide over a short period. The Biden-era rules targeted leaks from oil and gas facilities and required operators to find and repair escaping gas. Critics have warned that weakening those requirements would increase climate-changing emissions, and they have questioned whether the claimed savings account for the environmental costs of additional leaks.
The announcement highlights how energy costs have become a focal point of the political debate in Texas, one of the largest oil-producing states in the country. Trump framed the move as relief for an industry he said was burdened by regulation, and for households paying higher prices at the pump. Supporters of the methane rules have argued that capturing leaked gas keeps valuable product in the system and reduces harm to the climate.
The rally took place as voters prepare to cast ballots, and Trump's remarks presented the policy change as a direct response to household budgets. The reporting available does not specify the legal mechanism the administration will use to end the rules, nor the timeline for doing so. It also does not include a formal response from the oil and gas companies affected by the change.
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