Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the Biden Administration to stop a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that would expand its authority to further regulate states’ oil and gas industry.
“EPA’s new rule establishes onerous emissions standards for the oil and gas industry that would require producers to drastically update infrastructure,” Paxton’s press release announced. “Additionally, the rule usurps the States’ role in establishing emissions standards for existing sources and establishes new guidelines that mirror the Federal standards for new sources.”
“EPA’s rule violates fundamental principles of federalism by forcing the States to adopt Federal standards as their own in an unlawful attempt to regulate existing sources,” it continued.
According to the new rule—which was introduced in 2023—states will be required to follow new federal emission guidelines while continuing to develop plans to reduce current methane emissions.
Paxton filed the petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
“The EPA is once again trying to seize regulatory authority that Congress has not granted,” Paxton stated. “I am challenging this blatant overreach by the Biden Administration and will continue to defend vital sectors of the Texas economy.”
Petitioners from the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also joined the lawsuit.
Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick said, “The latest attack on oil and gas is nothing more than an attempt to shut down the industry that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, funds 1/3 of our state’s economy, and produces clean and reliable energy for the world.”
“I appreciate the Office of the Attorney General for filing suit against the EPA’s methane rule and look forward to protecting our state’s jobs and economy by providing reasonable and consistent regulation to the oil and gas industry,” she continued.
Texas Scorecard reached out to TCEQ for comment but has not yet received a response.
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