PA Environment Digest Blog: EPA Moves To Weaken Rule To Reduce Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations

On April 6, the US Environmental Protection Agency released a final rule that it says will "unleash" the oil and natural gas industry and revise "burdensome, unworkable" policies to reduce methane emissions.

The changes are designed to save the industry over $208 million a year in compliance costs.

EPA said the final rule responds to several petitions for reconsideration and feedback from industry.

Among the changes, EPA pointed to changes in requirements for flaring natural gas.

EPA said the 2024 Final Rule phased out routine flaring of associated natural gas from new sources, but allowed owners and operators to perform temporary flaring for up to 24 hours in maintenance situations.

However, serious concerns were raised that this limited time frame did not provide enough time for owners and operators to troubleshoot and repair equipment, putting energy reliability for American families and the safety of workers at risk.

Under the Trump EPA’s revisions, owners and operators will now be able to utilize temporary flaring for up to 72 hours.

[Under Pennsylvania regulations, shale gas well bores are only required to be located 500 feet from the nearest homes. DEP has issued permits for 24,555 shale gas wells in the state, as of March 27, 2026]

The Biden EPA’s final rule also required continuous monitoring of the net heating value (NHV) of vent gas from flares and enclosed combustion devices (ECD).

Based on data that has come to light since 2024, today’s action adjusts the NHV monitoring and testing provisions so that owners and operators do not need to perform NHV sampling from flares or ECD, except where inert gases or other miscellaneous scenarios are present.

The final rule also removes the general exemption from NHV monitoring for associated gas for any control device used at well sites affected facilities.

These changes will reduce the number of unnecessary tests by up to 141,000 per year—about 1.9 million over 15 years.

Click Here to read the final rule.

Click Here for the EPA announcement.

Reactions

In response to EPA's announcement, the Environmental Defense Fund released this statement--

“Flaring natural gas wastes a vital energy resource at a time when power bills are already sky high for American families, and is a major source of methane emissions and other dangerous pollution.

"The Trump administration has made it clear that it plans to pursue a broader rollback of existing common-sense protections against methane pollution, in addition to today’s changes.

"These sweeping rollbacks are happening despite recognition among industry leaders that regulations that reduce methane emissions are key to the global competitiveness of U.S. natural gas.

"Unfortunately, today’s step is likely a harbinger of even more drastic and unproductive changes to come.”

“Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a climate super pollutant responsible for about 30% of the warming our planet is experiencing today. Reducing methane pollution from the oil and gas industry is the fastest way to slow down the rate of climate change.”

Evangelical Environmental Network President and CEO Dr. Rev. Jessica Moerman released the following statement--

“Natural gas flaring wastes precious energy resources at the very moment American families are struggling with rising energy costs and releases toxic pollutants linked to stroke, heart disease, childhood asthma, adverse birth outcomes including preterm birth, and even cancer.

“The EPA’s decision to relax important requirements for industry to monitor and limit flaring is a step in the wrong direction for making America healthy again and protecting the sanctity of life.

“Limiting natural gas waste and methane pollution is cost-effective and brings much-needed energy resources to market to heat and fuel American homes.

“Unraveling cost-effective and life-saving methane pollution safeguards is also at odds with the EPA’s mission to protect human health.

“This week’s reversal on natural gas flaring is just the first of many significant rollbacks to methane protections the EPA has signaled it will make in the coming months.

“American families, especially those in oil and gas country, are justified in asking the EPA why it is wasting our taxpayer dollars on eliminating cost-effective methane pollution protections that help prevent cancer, dementia, and birth defects—time and money that could instead be directed toward building upon the positive first steps it has taken to address new and emerging health toxins, like microplastics in drinking water, and accelerate developing full and robust solutions to those.”

DEP Developing Implementation Plan

Since EPA adopted the original OOOOb-c oil and gas industry methane reduction rule in March 2024, the Department of Environmental Protection has been developing a plan to submit to EPA to implement the regulation.

DEP held eight hearings on its proposed plan in June and July 2025 to gather public input. Read more here.

On April 24, 2025, DEP told members of DCED’s PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council the agency will continue to develop a program to meet these new requirements as long as the federal regulation is on the books. Read more here.

DEP said it plans to implement and enforce the new EPA requirements through its “existing [Air Quality] plan approval, general permit and operating permit programs” [page 179]

DEP said it intends to develop General Plan Approval/Operating Permits for the crude oil and natural gas source category. [page 179]

DEP said, “The public and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed general permits for the conventional and unconventional industry.”

The general permit draft is not included in the plan DEP proposed.

Visit DEP’s OOOOb-c Methane Reduction Plan webpage for more information.

Existing DEP Oil & Gas Methane Rule

The Environmental Quality Board adopted regulations in December 2022 requiring methane pollution reductions from conventional oil and gas facilities in response to a federal rule then in effect.

Conventional well owners challenged the regulations in court and did not have to comply with the requirement to submit a compliance report until a settlement with DEP in April required them to submit their first report by June 1, 2025. Read more here.

DEP reported in November, 2025, more than 99% of the 4,950 conventional oil and gas well owners failed to comply with the reporting requirement. Read more here.

During the process of adopting the 2022 regulations, DEP estimated conventional oil and gas facilities would account for 80 percent of the total methane emission reductions expected under the regulations which covered both conventional and unconventional shale gas facilities. Read more here.

Shale gas facility owners submitted their first reports on June 1, 2024 to cover 2023 emissions as required.

Resource Links:

-- 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 [PaEN]

-- EPA's Delay Of Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emissions Reductions Harms Pennsylvanians; Reactions From PA, Related Groups [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Federal EPA Rollbacks Mean Pennsylvania Must Take The Lead On Cutting Methane Pollution From Oil & Gas Operations [PaEN]

-- PA Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Applauds President For Overturning Basis For Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs-- Including Methane From Oil & Gas Operations [PaEN]

-- DEP: More Than 99% Of Conventional Oil & Gas Facility Owners Failed To Comply With VOC/Methane Reduction Regulations Covering 64,660 Wells; Had 193 Days To File [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]

-- 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]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- DEP: Wastewater Spill At Repsol Oil & Gas USA Shale Gas Well Pad In Bradford County Results In Recovery Of 166,729 Gallons Of Contaminated Water, So Far [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 11 [PaEN]