{
  "id": 16912899,
  "title": "Trump to Ease Methane Rules for Oil and Gas Wells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/trump-to-ease-methane-rules-for-oil-and-gas-wells",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-28T14:34:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Eos",
    "slug": "eos",
    "url": "https://eos.org/research-and-developments/trump-to-ease-methane-rules-for-oil-and-gas-wells"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Trump administration has announced intentions to relax methane emission rules for oil and gas companies, reversing a 2024 regulation set by the Biden administration. This decision was revealed during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas on October 27th. Trump claimed that the less stringent rules would result in the release of 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas - equivalent to roughly 10 and 15 days of U.S. consumption respectively. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, has 30 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide, as per the United Nations. It is primarily found in natural gas and is also a byproduct of oil drilling, often released as waste. Trump's plan includes several modifications to the 2024 Methane Rule, primarily aimed at easing restrictions on marginal wells, flaring (burning off excess natural gas), and the EPA’s Methane Super Emitter Program. According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, these changes were revealed during a meeting with the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association on October 7th. The EPA described the 2024 restrictions as a \"significant threat\" to the oil and gas industry. Zeldin added that the proposal addresses concerns raised by American producers and operators. The EPA press release stated that the new rules would address issues raised by American producers and operators. However, watchdog group Fieldnotes highlighted that the oil and gas industry has been in close collaboration with the Trump administration to weaken these methane rules. Their investigation, based on Freedom of Information Act records and internal trade association materials, showed that Trump administration officials met with oil and gas interests at least 36 times during the first year of Trump's second term. Jon Goldstein, from the Environmental Defense Fund, criticized the proposed changes, saying they would create loopholes for low-producing, high-polluting wells and weaken safeguards against waste and pollution from oil and gas operations. Goldstein added that the rollback would lead to more wasted energy, increased methane pollution, and greater health risks for communities near oil and gas operations. A recent Environmental Defense Fund analysis estimated that in 2023, oil and gas flaring cost $5.6 billion in health and climate impacts.",
  "summary": "The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate some methane emissions restrictions for oil and gas companies, rolling back rules set by the Biden administration in 2024.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Arutz Sheva - Israel National News",
        "title": "Melania Trump announces Ukraine-Russia ceasefire, humanitarian corridor in Oleshky",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/melania-trump-announces-ukraine-russia-ceasefire-humanitarian",
        "published": "2026-10-27T17:18:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Trump announces proposal to loosen methane rules for oil and gas production",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/trump-announces-proposal-to-loosen-methane-rules-for-oil-and-gas",
        "published": "2026-10-28T00:35:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump drastically loosens oil and gas methane rules",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/trump-drastically-loosens-oil-and-gas-methane-rules",
        "published": "2026-10-28T01:07:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "Trump drastically loosens oil and gas methane rules",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/trump-drastically-loosens-oil-and-gas-methane-rules-16848904",
        "published": "2026-10-28T04:00:46.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}