Trump says he is ending Biden-era methane rules for oil and gas

President Trump said at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening that his administration is "terminating" Biden-era rules on methane emissions from oil and gas operations, according to The Guardian and NPR. NBC News reports he said the Environmental Protection Agency plans to ease the rules.

The Hill describes the step as a proposed rule, not a finished one. An administration official had told The Hill earlier that Trump would announce it at the rally. The Hill also reported that the draft targets low-producing, high-emitting wells in particular.

The Guardian reports that Trump put the savings at $45bn for consumers and energy producers. He also said the change would free up 210 million barrels of oil, which the Guardian says is about 10 days of U.S. petroleum use. The reports do not verify these figures.

The Guardian says the rules held companies accountable for large methane leaks, and that critics are warning of climate danger. The New York Times reports that the Biden administration wrote the rules to crack down on leaks and that they are now being scaled back. The Verge says methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, up to 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide over 20 years.

The Hill says it was Trump's second Texas stop of the day. He was there to back Ken Paxton, the Republican state attorney general, in his Senate campaign.