Trump plans to loosen methane rules for low-producing, high-emitting oil wells

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.

Trump is expected to make the case that the move will encourage more domestic energy production. This has been a priority of the administration, and it comes at a time when high fuel prices pose a challenge for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

The president’s appearance is intended to boost Texas Senate candidate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the major oil-producing state.

The administration expects the changes to save the oil and gas sector $45 billion while allowing an additional 210 million barrels of oil production and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from 2027 to 2050. The U.S. consumes about 21 million barrels of oil and 92 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, so this would mean the equivalent of about 10 days’ worth of oil and 15 days’ worth of gas.

In 2023, the Biden administration tightened methane regulations for oil and gas, a move the administration said would prevent 58 million tons of methane from entering the atmosphere between 2024 and 2038 — the climate equivalent of taking 28 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year.

Previewing the proposed changes earlier this month , the EPA said it also will eliminate the Biden-era Super Emitter Program that would require energy companies to respond to credible reports of major methane leaks.

The administration is still expected to propose repealing that program, which it has already halted.