President Donald Trump has officially scrapped a Biden-era methane emissions fee, delivering a major win for America’s oil and gas producers.
The move, finalized Monday with Trump’s signature, nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2024 rule. This rule enforces the so-called Waste Emissions Charge, a regulation Republicans say was nothing more than a tax on natural gas production.
The methane fee was originally authorized under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and was designed to impose charges on companies emitting excessive methane.
Critics of the measure, however, argued that it stifled domestic energy production, drove up costs for businesses and consumers, and was another example of Biden’s overreaching environmental agenda.
With the resolution’s passage under the Congressional Review Act (CRA)—which allows Congress to repeal last-minute regulations from previous administrations—the rule is now history.
Republicans in Congress hailed the repeal as a victory for American energy independence. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) called the methane fee “a tax on natural gas” that would have ultimately burdened American families.
“It’s time to restore American energy dominance by harnessing innovation and producing the natural gas needed to support our electric grid,” Guthrie stated.
The American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) joined in the celebration, applauding Trump and congressional Republicans for overturning what they described as an unnecessary and punitive regulation.
AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury reinforced the industry’s commitment to reducing methane emissions but slammed the Biden-era rule as counterproductive. “While American energy producers remain laser-focused on reducing methane emissions, this punitive rule risked undermining those efforts,” Bradbury said.
Though the repeal blocks the EPA’s 2024 rule, the underlying methane fee law remains on the books. However, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) signaled that Republicans are far from done.
Capito, who chairs the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, vowed to fully repeal the law through legislative action, stating: “I will continue to work with my colleagues through the reconciliation process to stop the underlying law establishing this tax that was a part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.”
Democrats and environmental groups, on the other hand, decried the repeal, arguing it will hinder efforts to curb methane emissions—one of the most potent greenhouse gases.
Nearly 80 environmentalist organizations recently urged lawmakers to keep the rule in place, warning that eliminating it could increase pollution and disrupt investments in emissions-reducing technologies.
Still, for Republicans and energy producers, this repeal is a crucial step toward undoing what they view as the Biden administration’s war on American energy.
With Trump back in the White House, the GOP has made clear its mission: roll back burdensome environmental regulations and put American energy production back in the driver’s seat.