, Columnist
Trump's Methane Emissions Rule Rollback Isn't a Disaster
A change to an Obama-era EPA regulation removes a largely unnecessary burden that especially hurt smaller oil and gas companies.
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President Donald Trump’s decision last week to roll back some U.S. regulations aimed at curbing methane emissions by oil and gas producers came in for criticism from both environmentalists and some industry leaders, who branded the move as a disappointing step backward. The reality is more nuanced.
The updated regulation will get rid of methane-specific emission limits on oil and gas processing and production elements and will also eliminate the transmission and storage segments from regulation. Limits on the emission of all volatile organic compounds (which include methane) will remain.