EPA to Loosen Biden-Era Methane Rules

The EPA plans to ease methane regulations imposed by the previous administration, the agency announced last week (The Hill).

What’s going on: The EPA has not yet released a formal proposal but said it intends to revise several provisions of the Biden-era rule, including repealing a program requiring energy companies to respond to credible reports of major methane leaks.

• A draft revision under White House review last month “would dramatically loosen requirements for leak inspections and equipment upgrades at marginal wells” or low-producing, high-emitting wells, according to ProPublica.
• The EPA also plans to revisit restrictions on flaring—the practice of burning off excess gas at new oil wells—which the previous administration sought to eliminate.

Why it’s important: The changes could save approximately $45 billion, according to the EPA, while removing barriers to the production of affordable, abundant domestic energy, the administration said.

• “Americans must be able to afford to heat their homes in the winter and fill up their car and drive to work,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a written statement.
• “They can’t do that when the people producing the energy are weighed down by unnecessary burdens.”