Trump EPA Gives Oil and Gas Production a Pass on Methane Pollution

Last night, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft rule that significantly weakens standards that currently require oil and gas producers to reduce their pollution, find and fix methane leaks, and end wasteful flaring, or burning off, of natural gas.

Alexandra Schluntz, senior attorney at Earthjustice, issued the following statement in response:

“The Trump EPA is unlawfully prioritizing oil and gas interests at the expense of our health, climate, and economy. Fruitlessly flaring methane into the air, ignoring leaks, and delaying repairs in oil and gas production harms both companies and frontline communities – but the difference is communities will pay the price with their health and welfare, while companies forgo commonsense operational safeguards.”

Background

In December 2025, a dozen health, environment and community groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s delay in implementation of many of the requirements in the 2024 U.S. EPA methane standards – which keep dangerous pollution out of our air and reduce wasted energy from oil and gas leaks, venting and flaring – in spite of widespread community opposition and deep concerns about risks to human health. Oral arguments concerning those delays took place on October 14, 2026, in the D.C. Circuit Court.

The 2024 standards would reduce methane pollution through commonsense steps like requiring leak detection and repairs. These steps also reduce the emissions of other dangerous pollutants, including smog- and soot-forming volatile organic compounds and toxic air pollutants that cause cancer.

Methane is a climate pollutant that is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. It is responsible for almost 30% of the global warming that we have experienced so far, and drives extreme weather like worsening floods, wildfires, and heatwaves from climate change.