US EPA proposes to relax methane emission rules for oil and gas industry
27 October 2026
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a proposed rule to relax methane emission regulations from the oil and gas sector. The proposal was announced by President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin during an election rally in Lubbock, Texas.
The EPA is proposing to revise the oil and natural gas regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA), commonly known as OOOOb/c. In 2024, the EPA finalized regulations that were estimated at the time to cost $18 billion. However, “the Biden EPA underestimated the costs and refused to acknowledge their regulations would force many wells to close and stop new wells from opening”—the EPA said in a news release.
The agency expects the proposal would save $45 billion in costs to consumers and businesses, including families and small businesses operating marginal wells, and to enable the extraction of 210 million additional barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The key proposed regulatory changes include:
- Certain Well Sites: EPA is co-proposing two options to create separate categories and standards for well sites to make sure the regulations are workable for different types of wells. The first option would categorize well sites by production level, marginal or non-marginal. The second option would categorize them by resource type, conventional or unconventional.
- Super Emitter Program: EPA is proposing to rescind the program that certified third-party monitors for so-called “super emitter” leak events and required states to do the same, citing legal concerns, questioning the necessity of the program, and highlighting other practices already giving operators timely, actionable information to find and fix significant emission events that meet CAA requirements.
- Covers and Closed Vent Systems: EPA is proposing to split the “No Identifiable Emissions” aspect of covers and closed vent systems into design requirements and operational requirements. The operational requirements would allow for repairs.
- Associated Gas: EPA is proposing to restore 95% efficient flaring or other control devices as the best system of emission reduction, rather than requiring all associated natural gas coming from oil wells to reach a sales line, which is not possible in all producing areas and raises serious legal and practical concerns.
- Control Devices: EPA is proposing technical changes to give flexibility for flame monitoring data deviations, control device alerts, and visible emissions test conditions where appropriate.
The EPA will hold at least a 45-day public comment period, including a public hearing, after publication in the Federal Register.
Source: US EPA