EPA to propose significantly weakening national oil and gas air pollution regulations at the expense of public health and the climate
Today, at a closed-door industry conference, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Zeldin announced plans to roll back the 2024 methane regulations for the oil and gas sector, which established requirements to reduce methane emissions and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from new and existing oil and gas infrastructure. In addition to requiring equipment updates to reflect the best practices at the time, the 2024 methane rule established leak monitoring and retrofitting requirements across oil and gas sites, including for low-producing wells.
“Rolling back well-established air pollution standards for the oil and gas sector would give a pass to polluters while making the public pay the price,” said Darin Schroeder, Methane Legal and Regulatory Director at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “EPA’s plan defies the reality on the ground. ‘Low producing’ does not mean ‘low polluting.’ The hundreds of thousands of low-producing wells – which Zeldin has indicated could be the subject of a widescale regulatory exemption – produce less than 5 percent of our country’s oil and gas but are responsible for almost half of its methane emissions. Ignoring these emissions, and those across the oil and gas sector from flaring, super emitters, and other equipment would unnecessarily increase communities’ and workers’ exposure to air pollution. Time is of the essence, and further delay is unjustified. We urge EPA to halt the release of this proposal and instead carry out its obligation under the Clean Air Act by implementing the standards it finalized just over two years ago.”
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Senior Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 30 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
