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Donald Trump announced that his administration is terminating Biden-era regulations holding oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of planet-warming methane. The announcement was made during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening.
Economic Claims and Regulatory Changes
During the Texas rally, Trump stated that the policy change would save consumers and energy producers $45bn while unlocking 210 million barrels of oil, an amount equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption. He told the crowd he was officially terminating the expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to lift crippling rules that caused prices to skyrocket for small oil and gas operators. The initiative aims to encourage more domestic drilling as Trump faces criticism over high fuel prices stemming from the US war in Iran.
In a press release, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin praised what he called Trump’s move to end the war on oil and natural gas by revising oil and natural gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. According to the EPA, the proposal is expected to save $45bn in costs to consumers and businesses, including small businesses operating marginal wells, while producing an estimated 210m additional barrels of oil and 1.41tn cubic ft of natural gas.
Background on Methane Regulations
The 2024 methane rule required oil and gas operators to eliminate and minimize leaking, flaring and venting of methane and volatile organic compounds that are harmful to human health. It marked the first time the federal government established nationwide requirements to limit methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities, following an earlier 2016 Obama-administration rule that applied only to new and modified sources. Under the rule’s super emitter program, companies had to investigate major leaks near facilities detected by third parties using EPA-approved remote sensing technology.
In March 2025, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency was reconsidering the Biden-Harris regulations to ensure they do not prevent America from unleashing energy dominance and continuing its trajectory as a leader in clean energy and emissions reductions. Last year, the US emitted more methane from its oil and gas sector than any other country in the world, with methane responsible for at least a quarter of today’s warming.
Industry Influence and Access
Although some oil and gas executives spoke publicly in favor of the landmark methane rule, industry trade groups and corporations worked behind the scenes to gut the regulations, according to trade association materials and records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by Fieldnotes, an oil and gas watchdog organization. Julia Kane, a researcher for Fieldnotes, stated that the Trump EPA was giving oil and gas corporations exactly what they want, noting that the industry consistently works behind the scenes to delay and weaken rules despite claiming to be a good-faith partner.
Records obtained by Fieldnotes, including calendar events, presentation slides and meeting request forms, show that industry groups and companies met with the EPA to discuss methane regulations at least 38 times during the current administration’s first year. Kane highlighted an extraordinary level of access, pointing to a conference call where Independent Petroleum Association of America executive Lee Fuller described a discussion with EPA staff as one of the most fascinating meetings they had ever had because officials were suddenly willing to talk about things the industry had spent years trying to advance.
At a Trump rally in Corpus Christi earlier in the day, Trump acknowledged Harold Hamm, stating the founder of Continental Resources was in the audience. In April, Continental Resources wrote a letter to the EPA pushing back against measures in the methane rule prohibiting routine flaring of associated gas.
Environmental Criticism
Since the EPA announced it would no longer enforce oil and gas regulations in March 2025, oil and gas operators have leaked, vented or flared $7bn worth of natural gas, according to calculations by the Environmental Defense Fund. Rosalie Winn, senior director and lead counsel at the Environmental Defense Fund, stated that the Trump administration was seeking to curtail the federal government’s ability to address climate pollution across all of the largest sectors responsible for emissions.
What this administration is doing is enabling the worst polluters in the industry to continue to make ever more money off the back of American consumers while they’re wasting energy, Winn said.
