Sponsors (25)
The bill reduces costs and legal risk for marginal well operators and speeds state regulatory approvals, at the trade-off of higher local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, increased public health and cleanup costs, and more fragmented regulatory oversight.
Owners and operators of marginal oil and gas wells (largely small business operators and some energy utilities) avoid EPA compliance costs, ongoing monitoring/reporting/LDAR requirements, and the risk of pending enforcement fines or liabilities, improving short-term cash flow and lowering operating expenses.
State and local governments gain regulatory certainty and faster approvals for state plans (approval deemed after 180 days), reducing administrative delays tied to marginal‑well exemptions.
People living and working near marginal wells (and the broader public) face higher local air pollution and increased methane/VOC emissions because excluded wells no longer require leak detection, monitoring, or emission controls, which raises near-term health risks and undermines climate goals; taxpayers and downstream communities may also shoulder increased health-care and cleanup costs.
Public health risks for nearby residents and workers increase because fewer leak-detection and emission-control requirements mean more unaddressed local air pollution exposure.
Carving out marginal wells creates regulatory complexity and potential enforcement gaps, risking inconsistent protections across states and complicating federal‑state oversight.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts defined "marginal wells" from EPA performance standards and many monitoring/reporting requirements under Clean Air Act §7411 and requires EPA action on related state plan changes within 180 days.
Official title: To amend the Clean Air Act to exclude marginal wells from certain standards of performance and other requirements under such Act, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 21, 2026 by August Pfluger · Last progress May 21, 2026
Exempts a narrowly defined class of small oil and gas wells—called "marginal wells"—from federal Clean Air Act performance standards and many related regulatory requirements, and directs EPA to update regulations and act on state plan changes within 180 days. It also ends pending federal enforcement actions against marginal wells as of enactment. The change narrows the scope of EPA authority under 42 U.S.C. § 7411 by removing monitoring, reporting, recordkeeping, leak surveys, LDAR (leak detection and repair), emissions measurement/estimation, and other listed obligations for those small wells and their operators. EPA must revise guidance/regulations quickly and is required to approve state plan revisions that make standards inapplicable if EPA fails to act within 180 days.