Trump to announce proposal easing methane rules

President Donald Trump was expected to announce a proposal to ease federal methane requirements for oil and gas producers at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on October 27, as the Environmental Protection Agency reviews rules adopted in 2024 under President Joe Biden. The proposal is not final, and its effects remain projections rather than realized savings or production gains. The EPA is considering changes to requirements affecting marginal wells, methane monitoring and emissions controls. The agency has said the review responds to producer concerns about compliance costs and the effect of the existing rules on smaller and lower-producing operations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal would address those issues as part of a broader reconsideration of oil and natural gas regulations. The EPA estimates the proposed changes could produce about $45 billion in cumulative savings. One account of the agency’s estimates projects an additional 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas between 2027 and 2050. Those figures are government projections; the actual effects would depend on the final requirements and how operators respond. A planned change...