EPA plans broader changes to oil and gas emissions rules

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to propose a new round of changes to federal oil and gas emissions rules, including rescinding the Methane Super Emitter Program. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the planned action Oct. 7 at the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association’s annual meeting in Santa Fe.

The changes remain proposals, not final decisions. EPA said it expected to publish the action in the coming days, but its announcement did not include proposed rule text, a publication date or a comment deadline. The announcement itself does not alter operators’ requirements.

Proposed changes span wells, methane and equipment

EPA said it would propose two approaches for sorting certain marginal well sites into categories, with separate standards for each category. It also plans to propose rescinding the Super Emitter Program and dividing standards for covers and closed-vent systems into design requirements and operational requirements.

The agency said it would revisit how the rules treat associated gas from oil wells. Other contemplated changes concern flame-monitoring data deviations, alerts from control devices and the conditions under which operators must conduct visible-emissions tests. EPA described these as technical changes or added flexibility; the announcement did not provide draft language showing how the requirements would change.

The rules under reconsideration are the 2024 standards for new and existing oil and natural gas sources, commonly called OOOOb/c. They also include emissions guidelines for states developing plans for existing sources. Oil and gas operators covered by the standards could be affected if the changes are proposed and later adopted.

The October announcement follows a narrower technical change EPA finalized April 4, 2026. That rule addressed temporary flaring of associated gas in certain situations, as well as monitoring and testing requirements for certain flares or enclosed combustion devices. The further changes announced in October had not yet been issued as a proposed rule.

Current requirements and cost claims

The existing Super Emitter Program covers large methane releases detected with EPA-approved remote-sensing technology and certified third parties. EPA defines a super-emitter event as a release of at least 100 kilograms of methane per hour. Operators receiving EPA notifications must investigate and report when the requirements apply to the source. EPA says future implementation of the program has been extended until Jan. 22, 2027.

EPA estimated that the contemplated changes would save $45 billion. The agency’s announcement did not specify a time period for that figure or provide its supporting analysis; Reuters described the estimate as annual savings. EPA also characterized the 2024 rule as imposing $18 billion in regulatory costs. That figure is the agency’s characterization, and its announcement did not provide supporting analysis for it.

EPA presented the reconsideration as a way to reduce regulatory burdens on energy producers. The estimates are not a finding of the changes’ effects on emissions, energy prices or health. Those effects cannot be assessed from the planned changes as described so far.

The anticipated rescission drew criticism from Sierra Club campaign director Mahyar Sorour, Reuters reported. KUNM reported protests led by the Sierra Club outside the Santa Fe meeting. Those accounts describe the organization’s response, not broader public consensus. KUNM also reported that Zeldin said further technical details would be available after he signed off on a final copy.