Trump Continues Assault on Climate Rules

US president Donald Trump continued his assault August 29 against climate rules implemented by his predecessor by issuing a proposed new rule under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) that would eliminate direct federal regulation of methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

The regulation was a major component of president Barack Obama’s policies aimed at fighting climate change.

The proposed rule will eliminate regulations imposed by the Obama administration in 2016 that would require oil and gas companies to install technologies to inspect and repair pipelines and storage facilities that can leak methane. It will, however, retain emissions limits for volatile organic compounds, which could have a related effect of reducing some methane emissions.

The EPA said the proposed new rule would save the oil and gas industry as much as $19mn a year between now and 2025.

The new rule also challenges the EPA’s earlier assertion that the federal government has the right to regulate methane without first determining that it qualifies as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

Some major producers, including ExxonMobil, Anglo-Dutch major Shell and BP, do not want the methane rules changed, while the American Petroleum Institute welcomes less direct federal intervention, favouring voluntary efforts to reduce emissions of methane, which is considered a valuable fuel by producers.