US President Donald Trump has announced plans to roll back regulations requiring oil and gas companies to control methane emissions, a move environmental groups warn could worsen climate change and expose communities to harmful air pollution.
Trump announced the move at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, saying it would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock an additional 210 million barrels of oil.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also expects the proposed changes to yield 1.41 trillion cubic feet of additional natural gas, according to the agency.
The administration argues that the Biden-era regulations imposed unnecessary costs on energy producers and constrained domestic oil and gas development. But environmental and public-health advocates say weakening the rules would allow companies to release more methane and other pollutants into the atmosphere.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for at least a quarter of current global warming. Although it remains in the atmosphere for less time than carbon dioxide, it traps substantially more heat over the short term, making reductions in emissions important to slowing global warming.
The 2024 rules, introduced under former President Joe Biden, required oil and gas operators to reduce methane leaks, limit the routine flaring and venting of gas, and address emissions from existing facilities.
They also established nationwide requirements for existing oil and gas operations and created a programme requiring companies to investigate major leaks identified through approved remote-sensing technology.
The Trump administration began reconsidering the regulations in March 2025. The latest proposal would weaken controls on methane pollution, including oversight of major emissions sources.
Darin Schroeder, methane legal and regulatory director at the Clean Air Task Force, said the proposal would harm communities near oil and gas development and violate the government’s responsibility to protect public health.
Harold Wimmer, president of the American Lung Association, warned that methane leaks can release other dangerous pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, benzene and formaldehyde.
The US oil and gas sector emitted more methane last year than that of any other country, according to the International Energy Agency.
The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that oil and gas operators have wasted $7 billion worth of natural gas through leaks, venting and flaring since the EPA stopped enforcing the regulations in March 2025.
The rollback also follows sustained lobbying by industry groups. Records obtained by oil and gas watchdog Fieldnotes show that industry groups and companies met with the EPA to discuss methane regulations at least 38 times during the administration’s first year.
Trump’s announcement comes amid criticism over high fuel prices and his administration’s push to expand domestic fossil fuel production.
The proposal must still go through the regulatory process. Environmental advocates say weakening the safeguards could increase greenhouse gas emissions while worsening air quality for communities living near oil and gas facilities.
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