Trump moves to scrap US methane curbs on oil and gas
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration will dismantle restrictions on methane emissions from oil and gas producers, speaking at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, for Ken Paxton's Senate bid. An Environmental Protection Agency proposal revises a Biden-era rule, relaxing monitoring and emission-control requirements. Trump said the changes would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and produce 210 million barrels of oil. The EPA cited the $45 billion figure earlier this month without a detailed breakdown. Methane is responsible for about a third, or 0.5 degrees Celsius, of planetary heating since the pre-industrial era.
Key facts
- The EPA earlier repealed a rule limiting carbon emissions from power plants last month.
- The United States is the world's leading methane emitter from oil and gas, ahead of Russia, per the International Energy Agency.
- The Biden-era methane regulations were put in place by former President Joe Biden.
Summarised with AI from 5 sourcesRead our AI policy
Why it matters
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and the rollback would loosen rules on oil and gas emissions.
What changed
First published from OilPrice.com, The Verge, The Independent, The Straits Times and Bangkok Post