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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is ending a Biden-era rule aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.
The president announced the move during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, saying it would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock 210 million barrels of oil.
“Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs, unlock vast quantities of Texas natural gas, and produce 210 million barrels of oil,” Trump said.
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He added, “We’ve been working on this for a long time.”
The rollback comes as Trump pushes to increase domestic energy production amid high fuel prices and the U.S. war with Iran.
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Methane is the main component of natural gas and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane emissions, according to The Associated Press.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said last month that the agency would end its “Super Emitter Program,” which requires companies to find and fix major methane leaks. The EPA would also loosen rules for smaller oil and gas wells, the outlet reported.
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“The Trump EPA is committed to fixing this so the U.S. can reach its full energy potential,” Zeldin said at the time.
Environmental groups have criticized the rollback, arguing it would increase pollution.
“EPA should be fighting this waste, not making it easier,” Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
