Trump Move Could Unlock 210 Million Barrels of Oil

President Donald Trump said Tuesday his administration is terminating Biden-era methane regulations, a change he said would unlock 210 million barrels of oil. Speaking at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Trump said the move would save companies and consumers billions of dollars.

The 210 million barrels equals about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption. Trump said terminating the rules would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said last month the rule would have cost $18 billion. He said the changes would eliminate the agency's Super Emitter Program, which requires companies to investigate and repair major methane releases at oil and natural gas facilities, and set less restrictive standards for small wells.

Methane is responsible for about a third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, scientists estimate. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane, which is the main component of natural gas and is far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. The gas leaks from equipment or is burned off as a waste product by drillers.

Trump said Biden's plan "crushed the small operators" with crippling regulations. "I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs," he said.

Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp said the change gives a "free pass" to companies at the expense of American consumers. "EPA should be fighting this waste, not making it easier," he said.

The Biden rule was announced in 2023 at a U.N. climate conference in the United Arab Emirates, including by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Federal officials said it would prevent an estimated 58 million tons of methane emissions by 2038. The rule was published in 2024 and applied to existing wells as well as new ones. The EPA imposed an 18-month delay last year to give companies time to meet inspection requirements.

The rule was tied to a methane fee approved in the 2022 climate law that would have charged up to $1,500 per metric ton on producers exceeding certain emission levels. Congress repealed the fee weeks after Trump took office.