Trump scraps methane rules, claims $45 billion savings for energy sector

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration is terminating the methane emissions rule established during the Biden presidency. The decision targets regulations designed to reduce planet-warming gas releases from oil and gas drilling operations.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, Trump stated the change would save companies and consumers $45 billion. He said the move would also unlock 210 million barrels of oil, a volume equivalent to about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption. The announcement comes as Trump faces pressure over high fuel prices amid the ongoing war in Iran.

The primary target of the repeal is the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Super Emitter Program.” This program required companies to investigate and repair major methane releases from oil and natural gas facilities. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previewed these changes last month. He said the agency would also set less restrictive standards for small oil and gas wells.

Trump accused the previous administration of crushing small operators with crippling regulations. “I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs,” he said during the rally for Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Methane accounts for about a third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to scientific estimates. It is far more potent to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide in the short term. The gas typically leaks from equipment or is burned off as a waste product by drillers. Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp said the rollback gives companies a “free pass” to waste gas that could provide energy to millions of households.

The Biden rule, published in 2024, was projected to prevent 58 million tons of methane emissions by 2038. It also aimed to reduce other pollutants that cause health problems. By 2034, the rule was expected to yield $98 billion in benefits based on the social costs of emissions. That calculation method has since been rejected by Trump’s EPA.

Unlike previous regulations that focused only on new wells, the Biden rule covered existing wells. It required operators to plug leaks from smaller wells that produce just 6% of the nation’s oil and gas but account for up to half of all methane emissions from these fields. The rule was originally coordinated with a methane fee approved in the 2022 climate law, which Congress repealed weeks after Trump took office.

Zeldin argued the methane rule would have cost $18 billion and held back the U.S. energy industry. The move fits a pattern of the administration dismantling climate policies enacted under former President Joe Biden. Recent actions include revoking a key scientific finding on greenhouse gases and lowering vehicle fuel economy standards.