Western Leaders Network, Appalachian Leaders Network Oppose Planned Rollback of EPA Methane Standards

Trump administration moves to weaken 2024 rule that cuts climate pollution, protects community health, and prevents natural gas waste

At a public event today in Lubbock, Texas, President Trump said his administration is moving to weaken a 2024 federal rule to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, despite the rule’s broad support across stakeholder groups and local, tribal and state elected officials. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced agency plans to roll back the rule earlier this month.

The forthcoming proposal is expected to weaken leak inspection and equipment upgrade requirements for low-producing wells and end a program to address the industry’s largest methane releases, known as super-emitter events. This announcement follows the agency’s move to delay implementation of many of the rule’s requirements and loosen the rule’s restrictions on flaring.

“Local elected officials across our network have invested years advocating for strong federal methane standards, because we know they help prevent the waste of valuable natural gas and protect our air quality while addressing one of the most powerful climate pollutants,” said Jessica Pace, Interim Executive Director of Western Leaders Network. “These leaders and their community members made their support for the 2024 EPA methane rule clear when it was developed, so weakening or eliminating it is also an affront to the democratic process.”

The rule was adopted with support from the public, members of Congress, health experts, the oil and gas industry, environmental advocates and other stakeholders, including local, tribal and state elected officials across 11 states in Western Leaders Network (WLN) and Appalachian Leaders Network (ALN).

EPA’s 2024 standards require oil and gas companies to eliminate routing flaring, replace outdated process controllers with zero-pollution equipment, and regularly find and fix leaky equipment. It also establishes a program to address emissions from super-emitters and aims to incentivize more comprehensive monitoring via satellite emissions trackers. When the rule was finalized, the agency projected an 80% cut in methane pollution from sources covered by the standards.

Methane is the main component of natural gas. In the first year since EPA stopped enforcing methane regulations, the oil and gas industry leaked, vented or flared $4.2 billion in natural gas that could have met the natural gas needs of nearly 22 million households.

As EPA developed the 2024 rule and built upon previous regulations, WLN and ALN leaders submitted comments, signed letters and met with agency officials to explain the health, economic and environmental impacts of methane pollution and wasted gas on their communities.

“At a time when local governments and their constituents are concerned about rising energy bills and the costly impacts of climate change, EPA plans to let oil and gas companies observe wasteful practices at the expense of communities’ health, environment, and economic stability,” Pace said. “We oppose eliminating or weakening this commonsense rule, and will continue working for state-level methane protections that support healthy communities, economic resilience, and clean air.”

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Western Leaders Network and Appalachian Leaders Network harness the power of local, tribal, and state elected and appointed officials to address the climate crisis, advance conservation initiatives, and strengthen democracy.