October 27, 2026
President Trump is expected to announce today an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to further repeal 2024 methane regulations for the oil and gas industry, including the Super Emitter Program. This follows the first round of rule changes in April 2026 which loosened restrictions on flaring – the practice of burning excess gas during oil production, releasing hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere and nearby communities.
In response, U.S. Climate Action Network (USCAN) issued the following statement:
"In a moment of 1.5 overshoot, the Trump administration is taking a sledgehammer to commonsense safeguards against methane, an extremely potent “super pollutant.” This rollback will let oil and gas companies release more pollution, while frontline communities are yet again left to pay the price.
Under this administration, Big Oil has already cashed in on billions in government subsidies and is enjoying free rein to pollute. This proposal is yet another blatant giveaway to an industry that has spent decades polluting our air while families shoulder the costs of dirty energy, climate disasters, and rising electricity bills.
Trump’s EPA says it wants to hear from the American people. Here’s what it should hear: Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support stronger air pollution standards. Stop siding with Big Polluters, start protecting the people you are supposed to serve."
– Sriram Madhusoodanan, Director of Policy & Advocacy, U.S. Climate Action Network, smadhusoodanan@usclimatenetwork.org
Rev. Dr. ErNiko Brown, Founder & CEO, Organized Uplifting Resources & Strategies (OURS):
"At OURS, we understand that environmental issues are ultimately people issues. They are about families, children, workers, elders, and communities that too often bear the greatest burden of pollution while having the least power to prevent it.
Our communities are already carrying enough. We should not be asked to carry the burden of weakened environmental protections, increased pollution, and diminished accountability."
Irene Burga, Climate Justice & Clean Air Director, GreenLatinos:
“EPA’s plan to roll back methane safeguards would be another handout to the oil and gas industry paid for with the health of our communities. Latino families already live disproportionately close to oil and gas facilities and bear the burden of the toxic air pollution released alongside methane. Weakening these protections would mean more preventable pollution in communities already carrying far too much. EPA should be strengthening protections for frontline communities, not dismantling them.”
Denise Abdul-Rahman, Founder and CEO , Black Sun Light Sustainability (an Indiana project of Movement Strategy Center):
“We no longer have an environmental protection agency, only a BUSINESS protection agency.
For Indiana, these rollback policies are a 2-pronged approach compounding our environmental and public health risks for vulnerable communities in Indiana. Our Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order removing environmental justice from state permit criteria and capping state environmental laws at no more stringent than the federal standards.
This along with no accountability for Super Emitters will give AI data center companies free range and even further exacerbate urban and rural communities with extreme heat, flooding and more.”
Katie Huffling (DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN), Executive Director, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments:
“Rolling back the 2024 methane rule would compromise all of us. As nurses, many of our patients are in the estimated 17.3 million people and 3.9 million children across the country who live within half a mile of an oil and gas facility. Living near oil and gas wells is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired lung function, asthmatic attacks, preterm birth and childhood leukemia. The commonsense approach required by the 2024 EPA methane rule was estimated to avoid up to 700 premature deaths and 73,000 childhood asthma attacks each year.
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) strongly condemns the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rollback of this health protective rule. Weakening methane safeguards undermines efforts to protect vulnerable populations, and reverses efforts to reduce harmful emissions that accelerate climate change. ANHE calls on the EPA to abandon this proposal and ensure strong, enforceable methane standards are in place that hold polluters accountable.”
Sriram Madhusoodanan, Director of Policy & Advocacy, U.S. Climate Action Network, smadhusoodanan@usclimatenetwork.org
