In brief
At a campaign rally in Texas, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the Trump administration will roll back Biden‑era methane rules that require oil and gas operators to limit leaks and flaring. The move is pitched as a $45 billion cost reduction for consumers and producers and a boost of 210 million barrels of oil, according to the president. The rollback will ease requirements for low‑producing wells, relax flaring limits and eliminate a program that identified major leaks, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
On October 27, 2026, President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally in Texas that his administration would roll back a series of federal regulations designed to curb methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The announcement was framed as a move to reduce costs and boost domestic energy production at a time of rising fuel prices, which have become a political liability ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, according to Xinhua reports.
Trump spoke on the campaign stage in Lubbock, Texas, not only detailing the rollback but also projecting the financial impact of the change. "Tonight, I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers 45 billion dollars," he declared. The president claimed the repeal would unlock vast quantities of Texas natural gas and allow for an additional 210 million barrels of oil, a figure he cited to illustrate the potential output gains. The remarks were recorded by Xinhua and also reported by NBC News, which noted the announcement was made during a campaign rally amidst a backdrop of high fuel prices linked to U.S. tensions with Iran.
"Tonight, I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers 45 billion dollars," said President Trump on the rally in Lubbock.
The rollback will affect several requirements under the Biden‑era program. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the change will eliminate a tool that identified and addressed major methane leaks, ease obligations for low‑producing oil and gas wells, and relax restrictions on routine flaring of natural gas at oil wells. EPA officials said the program has been in place to reduce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for nearly a third of global warming observed today, and to mitigate the United States’ status as the largest emitter of methane from its oil and gas sector.
In a statement released by the EPA, the agency outlined the specific provisions that would be repealed. The agency emphasized that the Bush and Biden administrations had set the current rules to address the environmental impact of leaking and flaring of natural gas, a practice that contributes significantly to the U.S.’s overall methane emissions. The proposed rollback, as stated by the agency, would therefore reduce the regulatory burden for operators in the oil and gas industry.
The New York Times highlighted that the Trump administration’s move is part of a broader trend of restricting federal environmental oversight. The Times noted that the rollback could potentially reintroduce higher levels of methane into the atmosphere, counteracting recent gains in climate mitigation efforts at the federal level. The article also underscored the political motivation behind the decision, pointing to the administration’s desire to lower electricity and transportation costs for consumers and to portray itself as less restrictive compared to the Biden administration.
Environmental groups have responded with concern. Trump’s opponents argue that the rollback could increase methane emissions and worsen climate change. The EPA’s own communications indicate that the government believes the cost savings and energy production benefits outweigh the environmental implications, a conclusion disputed by climate scientists and advocacy organizations nationwide. The debate over methane regulation is a key issue for the coming election cycle as energy costs and climate policy remain central concerns for voters across the country.
