Trump Administration EPA Moves to Weaken Federal Methane Standards

EDF has released the following statement from Jon Goldstein in response to Lee Zeldin’s EPA weakening federal methane standards enacted during the previous administration:

“Flaring natural gas wastes a vital energy resource at a time when power bills are already sky high for American families, and is a major source of methane emissions and other dangerous pollution. The Trump administration has made it clear that it plans to pursue a broader rollback of existing common-sense protections against methane pollution, in addition to today’s changes. These sweeping rollbacks are happening despite recognition among industry leaders that regulations that reduce methane emissions are key to the global competitiveness of U.S. natural gas. Unfortunately, today’s step is likely a harbinger of even more drastic and unproductive changes to come.”

Background

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a climate super pollutant responsible for about 30% of the warming our planet is experiencing today. Reducing methane pollution from the oil and gas industry is the fastest way to slow down the rate of climate change. In 2024 the EPA, under President Biden, adopted air protections to reduce the amount of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.