The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the second Trump administration has instructed some of its enforcement staff to halt oversight efforts targeting the oil and gas industry, according to CNN. Multiple sources within the agency told this directive, delivered verbally over the past several months, has left staff stunned, particularly in Region 5, which oversees six Midwestern states historically plagued by industrial pollution.
The rollback aligns with President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate what he called “burdensome” regulations on energy production. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, appointed in January, has pursued this agenda by repealing pollution and climate rules finalized under President Joe Biden. Just last week, Zeldin proposed repealing carbon limits on coal and gas plants and weakening regulations on emissions. Speaking to the media, Zeldin said Biden-era standards “suffocate” economic growth and vowed to promote U.S. “energy dominance.”
However, internal sources say the policy shift is happening even before these regulatory changes become formalized. Enforcement officers in Region 5 reportedly stopped issuing notices of violation or requesting information from fossil fuel companies suspected of breaking environmental laws. One EPA official told CNN that energy-sector cases are now “handled differently and less likely to be moved ahead.” A similar trend was reported in Region 6 – home to major oil and gas producers like Texas and Louisiana – where, despite some violation notices being issued, no action is being taken to pursue the cases.
According to CNN, a March 12 memo from acting enforcement chief Jeffrey Hall directed staff not to take enforcement actions that could disrupt any stage of energy production unless there’s an “imminent and substantial threat to human health.” Furthermore, the memo said actions must be approved by Hall or his designees and explicitly discouraged enforcement related to methane leaks – a key issue for climate mitigation. David Uhlmann, a former EPA enforcement head, criticized the move, warning that it gives a competitive edge to lawbreaking firms and undermines public health protections.
Cuts to the Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division have further weakened enforcement capacity. Several EPA insiders said they are unable to negotiate penalties or compliance terms for fossil fuel violations. A DOJ official pushed back, telling CNN that the department continues to litigate cases normally. Yet, the agency recently sued to block states like Hawaii, Michigan, and New York from fining oil companies for climate-related harm. When announcing the lawsuit, Attorney General Pam Bondi said her office aims to “unleash American energy” by dismantling such barriers.
Despite the deregulatory momentum, some within the oil and gas industry have expressed support for methane regulations, recognizing that capturing leaks can offer both environmental and financial benefits. According to the news network, organizations like ExxonMobil have previously acknowledged the value of stricter rules on methane emissions, which can be recaptured and sold as natural gas. Mark Brownstein of the Environmental Defense Fund noted that failing to enforce these requirements not only harms public health and the environment but also results in wasted energy resources. He said that the gas industry itself had identified methane reductions as a priority and emphasized that the lack of enforcement undermines efforts to preserve valuable national energy assets.
