Tell EPA: Stop Trump's Proposed $45B Methane Rule Rollback

The Trump administration is preparing to give the fossil fuel industry another massive giveaway. This time, it wants to weaken protections against methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases heating our planet.

And the biggest beneficiaries could be some of the dirtiest oil and gas wells in America.

Methane traps more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. It's responsible for nearly one-third of the global warming we've experienced since the Industrial Revolution.

Sign the petition urging the Environmental Protection Agency to reject Trump's methane rollback and protect our climate.

The EPA wants to loosen pollution controls on hundreds of thousands of aging, low-producing oil and gas wells. According to previous EPA estimates, these wells account for just 7% of U.S. oil and gas production but produce roughly half of the industry's methane emissions.

That's an enormous amount of climate pollution from a relatively small amount of energy production.

The administration also plans to eliminate the Methane Super Emitter Program, designed to allow independent monitors to use satellites and other technology to identify massive methane leaks.

It also wants to loosen restrictions on routinely burning off unwanted natural gas, a wasteful practice that releases climate pollution.

And the justification? EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin estimates the rollbacks could save the oil and gas industry $45 billion through 2050.

That's $45 billion in projected industry savings while the rest of us face the mounting costs of climate change.

The consequences go beyond global warming. Methane leaks can accompany releases of dangerous pollutants, including cancer-linked benzene and chemicals that contribute to smog.

We know stronger protections can work. New Mexico has highlighted satellite data showing substantially lower methane emissions than neighboring Texas, while Colorado is moving forward with stronger safeguards.

Cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming. Instead, Trump wants to make it easier for polluters to release more of this dangerous gas.

The EPA should be protecting our climate, not protecting fossil fuel profits.

The petition to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reads: Reject the proposed rollback of federal methane protections for oil and gas operations. Maintain strong pollution controls on marginal wells, preserve independent monitoring of major methane leaks, and enforce meaningful standards that protect our climate and communities. Fossil fuel industry profits must not come before public health and a livable planet.
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Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/climate/trump-methane-rules-epa-greenhouse-gas.html

Photo credit Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal