PA Environment Digest Blog: EPA Extends Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Deadlines For Federal Clean Air Act Methane Reduction Rule; Deadline Extended For States To Submit Compliance Plan To 2027

On July 28, the US Environmental Protection Agency formally issued an interim final rule extending several deadlines for industry compliance with national methane standards for new and existing oil and gas facilities, known as Section 111, OOOOb/c of the Clean Air Act.

One of the key deadlines EPA is extending is the deadline for states to submit plans to implement Section 111, OOOOb/c from March 2026 to January 2027.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now in the middle of developing a plan to implement the Section 111, OOOOb/c requirements for oil and gas operations. July 30 is the last day to comment on the Plan. Read more here.

EPA is also accepting comments on the rule and will hold hearings.

Visit EPA’s OOOOb/c Deadline Extension webpage for background information and a copy of the interim final rule now out for comment.

Reactions

The Environmental Defense Fund issued this statement on EPA's action--

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin today finalized a plan to delay the 2024 methane standards for the oil and gas industry – an action that would lead to more energy waste as well as climate-damaging methane emissions and smog-forming and other hazardous pollution in our air from oil and gas leaks, venting and flaring.

“The 2024 methane standards are commonsense protections that have been working to cut oil and gas pollution, provide cleaner air for millions of people, reduce the risk of floods, wildfires, heatwaves and other severe weather events fueled by climate change, and prevent the needless waste of American energy," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund. "Administrator Zeldin is attempting to delay safeguards that have been in place for over a year, and he’s attempting to do it without public input. EDF will challenge this unlawful delay to ensure the American people get the benefits of these protections against methane pollution.”

As EPA recognized when it adopted the protections, proven and cost-effective solutions are available today to help oil and gas operators meet the 2024 methane standards while at the same time improving their bottom line.

By deploying these solutions, operators can lower costs, safeguard public health and prevent wasted resources. EPA extensively engaged stakeholders — including considering multiple rounds of public comments — before adopting the 2024 methane protections.

Last year, the US Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit Court declined to stay the deadlines for oil and gas companies to meet the standards.

Both large and independent producers have gone on record in support of federal methane regulation and major oil and gas producing states including Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have already been implementing the standards.

In 2023, oil and gas companies wasted $3.5 billion worth of natural gas through venting, flaring and leaks.

That’s enough natural gas to meet the residential gas needs (heating and cooking) of 19 million homes – the equivalent of every home in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

This isn’t just a national story—it’s personal for Pennsylvania.

Our state is the birthplace of the American oil and gas industry, with roots dating back to Edwin Drake’s first commercial oil well in Titusville in 1859.

Today, that legacy includes over eighty thousand active oil and gas wells leaking over 1 million metric tons of methane annually—the climate equivalent of running 23 coal plants or 21 million cars in a single year.

Pennsylvanians are already feeling the impacts:

-- $178 million worth of methane was wasted in 2023—enough to meet the heating and cooking needs of 820,000 homes, more than enough for every household in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh combined.

-- Oil and gas emissions contribute to asthma, heart disease, and cancer, especially for the 1.2 million Pennsylvanians living within a half-mile of active well sites.

-- Allegheny, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties all received a D or F grade for ozone pollution in the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report.

-- Nationally, air pollution from methane and co-pollutants causes an estimated $77 billion in annual health costs.

Meanwhile, delay of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program’s Waste Emissions Charge would eliminate $7.2 billion in revenue, allow unchecked pollution for another decade, and halt momentum in the fast-growing methane mitigation industry, which saw a 42% increase in Pennsylvania-based firms from 2021 to 2024.

Despite the federal inaction, Pennsylvania is proving what's possible:

-- The state has created over 100,000 clean energy jobs, with major investments in battery manufacturing (Turtle Creek), solar (Cochranton, Leetsdale), and grid tech (Williamsport).

-- Cost-effective solutions to methane pollution—like leak detection, zero-emission equipment, and satellite monitoring—are readily available and already in use.

-- The methane mitigation industry supports high-quality jobs that can’t be offshored.

“These decisions by Administrator Lee Zeldin to rescind the Endangerment Finding and delay compliance with the EPA’s commonsense methane standards underlines just how important Gov. Josh Shapiro’s leadership is to protect the health of Pennsylvanians and safeguard the future of our climate,” said John Rutecki, Regulatory and Legislative Manager, Environmental Defense Fund. “The Commonwealth is home to over 80,000 active oil and gas wells, many of them near homes and schools. Delaying these protections means our communities, especially those on the frontlines, will continue to breathe dangerous air pollution without strong and resilient state action.

“Timely and resilient action is essential to protect public health, tackle climate change, prevent the needless waste of our natural resources, and ensure the economic well-being of all Pennsylvanians. Governor Shapiro and the Department of Environmental Protection have taken important steps forward, and any federal delay makes continued state progress that much more important.”

Click Here for a copy of the EDF statement.

In response to the delay in methane reduction deadlines, Environmental Evangelical Network President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement:

“As evangelicals, we believe that all human life is sacred and worthy of protection—from the unborn to the elderly, including energy workers on the frontlines and the 17 million Americans who live, work, or go to school near oil and gas facilities.

“These individuals are regularly exposed to hazardous and cancer-causing pollutants from leaking oil and gas infrastructure. These are not distant problems—they’re happening now in our communities, to our families, right here at home.

“Health-harming leaks are preventable. That’s why 100,000 pro-life Christians supported the diligent monitoring and the commonsense standards outlined in the EPA’s Clean Air Act methane pollution rule finalized in 2023.

“The EPA’s recent decision to delay vital methane pollution safeguards is a step in the wrong direction. These commonsense protections were designed to stop harmful leaks that threaten the health of our families and cost our economy in lost energy and productivity.

“Delaying implementation not only endangers public health—it undermines the kind of responsible leadership Americans expect.

“According to its own accounting, the EPA admits that these delays will allow 3.8 million tons of methane pollution, 960,000 tons of volatile organic compounds, and 36,000 tons of other toxic air pollutants into the air that would have been avoided. This means more toxic leaks, more asthma attacks, and more cancer risks in our own backyards.

“Let’s be clear: cutting methane pollution is cost-effective and readily doable. With available technology and basic accountability, we can fix the leaks, protect our kids, and conserve American energy. Instead, this delay allows the worst actors to keep polluting with no consequences; and it’s our families, our kids with asthma, and our loved ones who pay the price.

“Like President Trump, we believe America should have the cleanest air, crystal-clear water, and the healthiest people. We cannot achieve this by postponing protections that keep dangerous pollution out of our lungs and off our playgrounds. Protecting our communities from toxic air is not partisan—it’s pro-life, and it’s the right thing to do.

“We urge the EPA to swiftly implement methane pollution protections instead of dragging its feet. Our children’s health cannot–and should not–wait.”

The Evangelical Environmental Network is a ministry whose mission is to inspire, equip, educate, and mobilize evangelical Christians to love God and others by rediscovering and reclaiming the Biblical mandate to care for creation and working toward a stable climate and a healthy, pollution-free world.

Environmental Health Project Executive Director Alison L. Steele issued this statement the EPA action--

“Repealing the endangerment finding and delaying industry compliance of the federal methane rule are policy actions that directly threaten the health and welfare of people across the globe.

“Limits on industrial pollutants the oil and gas industry emits can lessen the impact of climate change, reducing chronic illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.

“Reasonable pollution regulations can also lower the risk of health impacts experienced by residents who live as far as ten miles from polluting facilities, such as the vast network of shale gas wells, pipelines, compressor stations, and power plants in many states.

“It’s time for agencies to listen to the experts and promote smart pollution regulations that protect public health.

“Repealing the endangerment finding and delaying compliance of the federal methane rule does the opposite.”

The Environmental Health Project is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that defends public health in the face of shale gas development.

Resource Links - Comments On DEP Methane Plan:

-- Shale Gas Industry VP Attacks Credibility Of A Mom And Allegheny County Resident For Comments She Submitted In Support Of DEP Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From The Oil & Gas Industry [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Patrice Tomcik, Mother, Butler County Resident And Moms Clean Air Force Member [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Kim Anderson, Evangelical Environmental Network - Rager Mountain Leak Of 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Sarah Hertweck, Indiana Township Supervisor - ‘I See Up Close How Hobbled We Are By The State To Make The Best Choices For Our Community’ [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Rachel Meyer, Mother, Beaver County Resident - My Home Is Near A Natural Gas Compressor Station, 8 Shale Gas Well Pads, And The Shell Petrochemical Plant Is In My County [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Barbara Jarmoska, 77 Year Resident Lycoming County - The Degradation Is ‘Shocking And Tragic’ [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Vanessa Lynch, Mother, Allegheny County Resident - Its Been 5 Years Since A Grand Jury Report Said Pennsylvania Failed To Protect Families From Fracking, Let's Right Past Failures [PaEN]

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