Trump says government to ‘terminate’ Biden-era methane emissions rules

Trump at the rally in Lubbock on Tuesday. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/ View image in fullscreen Trump at the rally in Lubbock on Tuesday. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/ Trump says government to ‘terminate’ Biden-era methane emissions rules Critics warn of climate danger as president in Texas claims change will save companies and consumers billions Donald Trump announced his administration is “terminating” Biden-era regulations holding oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of planet-warming methane during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening. Trump said during a campaign rally in Texas that the change would save consumers and energy producers $45bn and unlock 210 million barrels of oil – equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption. “Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers,” Trump said, lifting what he called “crippling regulations on methane that caused prices to skyrocket” for small oil and gas operators. The move 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, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Lee Zeldin, praised what he called Trump’s move “to end the war on oil and natural gas” . According to the EPA, the proposal is expected to save $45bn in costs to consumers and businesses, including small businesses operating marginal wells, and produce an estimated 210m additional barrels of oil and 1.41tn cubic ft of natural gas. 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 methane regulations, according to trade association materials and records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by Fieldnotes, an oil and gas watchdog organization. The 2024 methane rule required oil and gas operators to eliminate and minimize leaking, flaring and venting of methane and of volatile organic compounds, which are harmful to human health. It was the first time the federal government had set nationwide requirements to limit methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities. An earlier rule finalized under the Obama administration in 2016 applied to new and modified sources. Under the rule’s super emitter program, companies had to investigate major leaks near oil and gas facilities detected -approved remote sensing technology. In March 2025, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency was reconsidering the Biden-Harris regulations “to ensure that they do not prevent America from unleashing energy dominance and continuing our trajectory as a leader in clean energy and emissions reductions”.