Reps. Mathews, Moore Urge EPA to Revise Federal Methane Rule to Protect Ohio's Small Oil and Gas Producers, Strengthen Energy Security

State Representatives Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Ty Moore (R-Caldwell) announced the introduction of a resolution urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and reconsider certain federal methane regulations. 

“Ohio’s small conventional operators have kept American energy flowing for generations, and it’s time D.C. regulations stopped heaping burdens on them,” Rep. Mathews said. “This resolution simply asks the EPA to give our marginal wells a fair, workable path forward instead of regulating them out of existence.”

“Ohio’s small oil and gas producers help power our communities, support local jobs and keep energy costs affordable,” Rep. Moore said. “Federal regulations should be practical and achievable so these businesses can keep operating, growing and contributing to our energy security while still meeting environmental standards.”

House Concurrent Resolution 47 underscores the important role Ohio’s smaller conventional oil and gas operators play in supporting America’s energy dominance both in the U.S. and across the globe, and that federal methane regulations – previously issued by the Biden Administration – continue to place significant regulatory burdens on the industry and threaten domestic energy production. 

The resolution outlines the possible wide-ranging detrimental impacts of the EPA’s Methane Rule on Ohio’s small oil and gas operators if left in place, including contributing to a decline in new conventional drilling, which employs thousands of jobs.

The resolution urges the U.S. EPA to consider one or more of the following revisions:  

• Establish an exemption for low-production oil wells from the Methane Rule, based on tons per year in excess at a level of twenty tons per year, or to allow for the continuation of venting and flaring for this small but important sector of the industry;
• Classify conventional operators as a "small well site" rather than continuing to consider them a "large well site" and thus subject to the same regulations as large-scale shale operations, which brings substantial compliance burdens for the smaller operators;
• To consider extending the concessions granted to the State of Alaska regarding pneumatic controls for all remote areas that do not have electricity hook-ups available and for areas where temperatures are below freezing for more than thirty days per year; or
• To consider granting an exemption from the Methane Rule for marginal wells, with fifteen barrels of oil equivalent per day as the standard for any marginal well exemption. 
   

The resolution follows an Executive Order issued by President Trump on April 8, 2025 that urged federal agencies to review and reduce regulatory burdens impacting domestic energy production. 

To read the resolution in full, click here.