EPA Proposes Rollback of Methane Rules for Low-Producing Oil and Gas Wells

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed rolling back rules requiring leak checks and upgraded equipment for more than 700,000 low-producing oil and gas wells in the US.

These 'stripper wells' supply only 6% of US oil and natural gas but are linked to roughly half of the industry's methane emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that breaks down in about 12 years, making it one of the few known ways to counteract globally rising temperatures.

The rollback could undo a major part of former President Joe Biden's climate agenda, which aimed to reduce methane pollution from the oil industry by 80%. The previous EPA rules were projected to yield over $7 billion per year in combined climate, health, and energy benefits.

The proposal would also eliminate an EPA program meant to track 'super-emitter' events, huge methane releases associated with the oil industry, and require companies to respond to them. Environmental advocates argue that the tradeoff would be far more pollution for very little additional energy production.