Oil industry lobby aims to remove methane fees under Trump presidency
A group of U.S. oil and gas companies is pushing to end penalties for methane emissions, led by a major Trump donor whose company was recently fined for methane pollution.
Oliver Milman reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), a group of 30 oil and gas companies, is planning to remove a methane emissions fee introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act if Trump wins the election.
- AXPC's board includes Hilcorp’s CEO Jeff Hildebrand, a significant Trump donor whose company recently paid $9.4 million in fines for methane violations.
- Methane, which is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO₂, has been rising at record rates globally, prompting climate scientists to call for immediate reductions.
Key quote:
“The fastest win we can get in order to slow down global warming is to cut methane, it’s really the crucial thing we can do immediately to address this crisis.”
— Paul Bledsoe, former climate adviser to Bill Clinton’s White House
Why this matters:
Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, and unchecked emissions accelerate climate change impacts, including severe weather events. Rolling back methane regulations would likely reverse recent progress in emission reductions, undermining efforts to achieve global climate targets.
