EPA appears to be planning an eleventh-hour reprieve for oil producers facing a May 7 deadline to stop burning off gas from newer oil wells.
At a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is planning to release a guidance document by next Thursday to allay producers’ concerns about their ability to meet the Biden-era flaring ban.
“We are well aware of the issue,” Zeldin told Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), who used Zeldin’s appearance at a fiscal 2026 budget hearing to ask him about EPA’s plans ahead of the deadline. She said the flaring ban would force North Dakota producers to shut in up to 40,000 barrels of oil a day.
“We are extremely confident that the document that we’ll be putting out will be assisting the regulated community in interpreting the law and regulation,” said Zeldin.
