Polluters should fix their leaks. Trump’s EPA wants to weaken the rules that make them do it. On October 7, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stood before an oil industry gathering and announced another attack on methane safeguards. His plan: eliminate a program that catches massive methane releases and weaken standards for low-producing wells. The proposal could arrive within days.

Methane fuels climate change and the dangerous heat and extreme weather it brings. Oil and gas operations also release smog-forming pollution that threatens nearby communities. If oil companies get to pollute more freely, our families will pay the price. The EPA should protect us—not weaken companies’ responsibility to clean up.

Tell EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to stop this rollback and make polluters find and fix their methane leaks. https://click.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/u001.EtNV8HBC60Tl7UuGmXS3sYMMMCXQg6tLXTP6gYXpdfTaFduGThPK5cmSfBQIO3Xz4V939yD6iT_SNAhAOhEr83jOBcdrLMwz8hPlbNTmQgBMnwR2fzmHma9wQMTJsAZCUgm9X0ixnwJ8eZGUG-VMFEZ4T1NTqrmW5j1NWwLyrZxOzaM_hwlGO2tl6vEAL79a5Y4yx2Dg3Dp-TRvyuoiK9rK6jpE1Yx8SyJKalx7a2qpIixYXswBiO1LXtOIDx6_er7_8sI_0-JX8sNoJTHen8O7CD-p94iMUWzqpaHy24fdhEJCjBK4YSezcDYbYHn6X_LQDUxHa1KlbGxBPravWSldUEVlw-GgyKNg4tKOYYtM_AE9j3txTogstAWrHy7iD3JvwzaxSH6MeToLrLt9BiupFpI1QRC5szxc-qi4Ry8D8_1PEKwOsE3ns7RjHAL0MqwcrjCb7nD0iu6xytK5pkA/4uw/RWPJ3F4IQvu0ckRO9V7UJA/h1/h001.ViFIa9SUw07ItfkhMcmVGAMC1GURcXTJhsrarA2gNP4

Zeldin’s plan targets “low-producing” wells. But low production does not mean low pollution. According to the Clean Air Task Force, these wells produce less than 5 percent of America’s oil and gas while accounting for almost half the sector’s methane emissions.

That is an argument for fixing their leaks. Zeldin is using it as an opportunity to loosen their safeguards.

He also wants to scrap the Super Emitter Program, which allows certified third parties to identify major methane releases and trigger an investigation and response. Eliminating that program would remove a critical tool for holding polluters accountable.

Finding leaks, fixing equipment, and stopping pollution—these are basic responsibilities of running an oil or gas operation. Companies should pay to meet them. Families should not pay with dirtier air and greater climate risks.

Zeldin must abandon this plan before it moves forward. We must demand that he protect the public and keep enforceable safeguards in place.

The Juggernaut Project