What Happened?

Oil and gas companies, gas processing plants, and storage tank owners would face weaker federal limits on methane leaks under a proposal that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register on Oct. 29. The proposal, posted to the Federal Register on Oct. 29, would roll back parts of the 2024 oil and gas methane rule. ​

The proposal would change four major requirements:

  • Super Emitter Program: EPA proposes to eliminate the program entirely, ending third-party monitoring and the requirement that operators respond when a leak of 100 kilograms of methane per hour or more is detected.
  • Associated gas flaring: The 2024 rule required new oil wells to send associated gas, the gas that comes up alongside oil, to a sales pipeline rather than burn it off. The proposal would allow flaring instead, as long as it cuts methane and other organic compound emissions by at least 95 percent.
  • Low-output well sites: EPA would create a reduced-requirements category for well sites where all wells average 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day or less.
  • Gas processing plants: Owners could use a camera-based survey method, called optical gas imaging, as an alternative compliance option not currently allowed.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

EPA's own modeling projects the primary proposal would add 60 million short tons of methane emissions from 2027 to 2050, along with 17 million short tons of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and 2.3 million short tons of hazardous air pollutant emissions. VOCs and hazardous air pollutants contribute to smog and health problems in communities near oil and gas sites.

Wells producing 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day or less make up roughly 78 to 80 percent of existing U.S. oil and natural gas wells, but they produced only about 7 percent of total U.S. oil and natural gas in 2024. EPA estimates the primary proposal would cut industry compliance costs by about $2.7 billion per year from 2027 to 2050, totaling approximately $45 billion in savings over that span.

Both Sides, Now

The American Petroleum Institute supported the proposal as a way to address compliance challenges. According to NPR, the Environmental Defense Fund argued that capturing gas rather than losing it could offset compliance costs. However, Reuters reported that Sierra Club campaign director Mahyar Sorour criticized the proposal as a giveaway to fossil fuel executives

The proposal advances two executive orders issued Jan. 20, 2025: "Unleashing American Energy" and "Declaring a National Energy Emergency." Opponents point to a report published Oct. 23, 2026, by Source New Mexico, reporting by Capital & Main, which identified 166 major methane leaks at 121 oil and gas facilities in New Mexico between Jan. 1, 2025, and Apr. 30, 2026, with few appearing to have been reported to state regulators.

What Happens Next?

EPA has scheduled a virtual public hearing on the proposal for Nov. 16, with advance registration for speakers closing Nov. 10. Written comments are due Dec. 16, and the agency is seeking input on all requirements from the 2024 rule, not only the parts this proposal directly addresses.

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