EPA to loosen methane rules for oil firms
The gist
President Trump proposed scrapping Biden-era methane rules, citing $45 billion in industry savings.
Methane traps far more heat than CO2, so the rollback matters for climate.
How it unfolded
- 2023The Biden administration issued rules requiring oil and gas facilities to monitor operations and prevent methane leaks.
- 2024The Biden-era final rule was published but never went into effect.
- 2025The EPA imposed an 18-month delay to give companies time to meet inspection requirements, and suspended the Methane Super Emitters Program while announcing it would reconsider the Biden-era rules.