The Trump administration is planning to loosen regulations on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, with a particular focus on low-producing, high-emitting oil and gas wells, The Hill reported. The outlet's reporter, Rachel Frazin, wrote that the plan would roll back those regulations.
According to The Hill, President Trump will announce a proposed rule to roll back those regulations at a Tuesday night rally in Texas, and an administration official confirmed the plan. The summary of the report begins to describe the draft rule's expected effects but is cut off, so the rule's specific provisions cannot be described from it.
The New York Times reported, in an article by Brad Plumer, that the E.P.A. is to loosen methane rules for oil firms. The Times summary says the Biden administration had sought to crack down on methane leaks, which it described as "a big driver of climate change," and that those rules are now being scaled back. The New York Times account was published on the same day as The Hill report.
The two reports differ in emphasis. The Hill describes a proposal that the president will announce, while the Times summary says the existing rules are now being scaled back. The summaries do not say whether the change has been finalized, what the Biden-era rules required in detail, or whether any officials have commented beyond the administration official cited by The Hill. Neither summary gives a figure for emissions or the number of wells affected.
Sources: The Hill: Trump plans to loosen methane rules for low-producing, high-emitting oil wells; The New York Times: E.P.A. to Loosen Methane Rules for Oil Firms.