Trump administration promises new methane rules after a decade of regulation

· Climate · United States

The Trump administration has promised new rules on methane, the potent greenhouse gas that billows from oil wells, pipeline valves, gas processing plants and routine maintenance venting across the Permian Basin of West Texas, Inside Climate News reports. The promise follows more than a decade of efforts to bring those emissions under control in the nation's largest oilfield. Methane is a short-lived but highly warming gas, and the Permian is the focus of much of the debate over how far U.S. oil and gas production can be cleaned up. Any redraft of the rules would affect operators across the basin and the federal framework that governs emissions reporting and control in the sector.

Why it matters：Methane rules shape the operating costs and emissions profile of U.S. oil and gas producers, so any rewrite in the Permian has consequences for the sector and for global climate targets.

Key points

  • Methane escapes from wells, pipeline valves, processing plants and maintenance venting in the Permian Basin.
  • The new rules would follow more than a decade of efforts to regulate the emissions.
  • Methane is a potent, short-lived greenhouse gas.

Sources (original reporting)

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