Industry Applauds as EPA Rescinds Oil, Natural Gas Methane Regulations

The Trump administration on Thursday validated reports of its intention to roll back Obama-era controls on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

In a two-part rulemaking, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinded the regulations enacted under the 2016 Oil and Natural Gas New Source Performance Standards (NSPS).

The NSPS sought to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane, as well as smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC) and toxic air pollutants such as benzene from oil and gas operations.

EPA dubbed part one of the overhaul the “policy package.” It lifts emissions standards for the transmission and storage segments of the industry, and it removes methane control requirements for the production and processing segments.

During a...