Trump easing methane rules for oil and gas

Trump easing methane rules for oil and gas

The Trump administration is planning to loosen regulations on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and particularly for low-producing, high-emitting oil and gas wells.

President Trump will announce a proposed rule to roll back those regulations at a Tuesday night rally in Texas, an administration official confirmed.

The draft rule would be expected to particularly ease regulations on “marginal wells,” which produce a relatively small quantity of oil or gas.

These oil wells are estimated to produce just 7 percent of the nation’s oil and gas but about half of its methane emissions.

Methane is a planet-warming gas that’s about 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for about 25 percent of global warming.

It mainly comes from the production and transport of fossil fuels — as well as from livestock and other agriculture and decaying waste in landfills. Natural gas is primarily made up of methane.

In addition to cutting back regulations on marginal wells, the administration is also moving to relax rules for the broader oil sector. This includes loosening Biden-era rules that would have phased out some flaring, or the burning off of excess gas during oil production.

The announcement’s timing and details were first reported by Bloomberg . An administration official confirmed the accuracy of the report.

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