(The Lion) — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance Friday to clarify its rules for oil and gas owners, after several energy operators raised concerns that Biden-era rules might force them to halt production by Thursday.
The guidance states current federal regulations allow oil and gas producers to continue “routine flaring of associated gas at new oil wells in limited circumstances” after the phaseout deadline previously set by the Biden EPA for May 7. Producers in regions such as Williston Basin, the Bakken Formation and the Permian Basin expressed concerns they would need to continue flaring past the deadline or shut down production at some well sites. Those concerns prompted the EPA to issue the guidance.
“Gas flaring is the burning of the natural gas associated with oil extraction,” according to the World Bank Group, which also notes it may be necessary for safety and economic reasons even though the practice emits carbon dioxide. The Biden EPA aimed to prohibit routine flaring at new wells after May 7, believing it would help achieve emissions reduction goals.
“America already produces energy better and cleaner than anywhere else in the world. That should not stop,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement Friday. “EPA is providing certainty that oil operators and owners already have the flexibility under our regulations to navigate situations beyond their control and continue unleashing American energy. In doing so, the Trump EPA is advancing American energy dominance and lowering energy costs across the nation.”
Zeldin has continuously stressed the EPA can safeguard the environment while helping “unleash American energy” and cutting unnecessary “bureaucratic burdens.”
The clarification will allow operators to continue producing tens of thousands of oil barrels a day, according to the Department of Energy (DOE), as Europe and Asia scramble for fuel amid the Iran conflict and related supply chain disruptions. As U.S. gas prices rise from the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the clarification should help reduce costs, according to the DOE.
Notably, Republican North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak applauded the action Friday, stating the EPA prevented “the unnecessary reduction of 40,000 barrels per day of oil production in North Dakota!”
Zeldin announced a “reconsideration” of the 2024 Clean Air Act rule for oil and natural gas, commonly known as OOOOb/c, in March 2025. The EPA issued a July 2025 interim final rule and a December 2025 final rule extending compliance deadlines “to provide more realistic timelines for owners and operators to comply with the 2024 Final Rule.”
“The agency is currently developing another proposal to further amend the 2024 Final Rule to address additional issues raised by stakeholders that will further drive down the cost of living for all Americans,” the EPA said Friday.
The agency enacted several stringent regulations on the oil and gas industry during the Biden administration, although the agency has worked to reverse some of these rules under Zeldin’s leadership.
