HSE & Sustainability

Trump Administration Rolls Back Curbs on Oil Industry Methane Emissions

The Trump administration rolled back regulations aimed at reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas operations, its latest move to unwind environmental rules ahead of November’s presidential election.

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The Trump administration on 13 August rolled back regulations aimed at reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas operations, its latest move to unwind environmental rules ahead of November’s presidential election.

During a visit to election swing state Pennsylvania, US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler formally rescinded 2016 Obama administration limits on oil and gas industry emissions of methane, a move criticized by environmentalists when initially proposed last August.

Wheeler said in Pittsburgh that new rules would save $100 million a year between 2021 and 2030. The rules will “fulfill President (Donald) Trump’s promise to cut burdensome and ineffective regulations for our domestic energy industry,” he said.

The new rules remove methane control requirements for the production and processing of oil and natural gas as well as curbs on emissions from transmission and storage.

The rules also exempt smaller oil and gas companies from a requirement they install equipment to detect methane leaks and change the required schedule for repairing leaks, “to respect the realities of the oil and gas industry” by allowing deferrals.

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