Texas is of course a big oil state, but it’s also home to a growing industry focused on reducing emissions of oil field methane, a climate change causing gas. But the Trump administration is loosening the rules on methane, which could leave these methane-reduction companies with a smaller market for their products and services.
The companies have grown to more than 130 nationwide since about 2010, according to a count from the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund, driven by tightening rules on methane and by economic incentives. Industry groups say it’s good business to cut methane, but they argue regulations stifle innovation and take away the flexibility oil and gas producers need to tackle the problem.