EPA to Loosen Methane Rules, Boosting Pollution From Oil and Gas Wells

The Trump administration is set to relax environmental regulations on oil and gas wells that produce minimal energy but emit significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to loosen requirements for leak inspections and equipment upgrades at over 700,000 low-producing "stripper wells."

These wells, often old and poorly maintained, account for 6% of the nation's oil and gas but produce roughly half of the sector's methane pollution. The EPA acknowledges that existing regulations make low-producing wells too costly to operate, but argues that this would be "unreasonable" as it would only eliminate 0.4% of U.S. oil and gas production.

The proposal, which weakens methane controls across the oil industry, is expected to save companies $42 billion through 2050. Environmental advocates claim that deregulating stripper wells will barely boost energy output while significantly increasing climate pollution. The rollback is seen as part of a campaign by a faction of the oil industry that gained influence during the second Trump administration, notably Hilcorp, a company known for purchasing old stripper wells.

Former Hilcorp lobbyist Aaron Szabo was appointed to a top EPA position, overseeing the effort to scrap the new methane rules. Project 2025, a deregulatory roadmap for the current administration, also recommended eliminating an EPA program to track and respond to "super-emitter" events — large methane releases that have long plagued the industry.