Christmas Wish #1: Roll Back the EPA’s New Natural Gas Tax

December 17, 2024

As we count down the days to Christmas and the official start of the incoming Trump administration, we’ve prepared a Christmas wish list for the new team with ideas on how to put America’s energy producers, workers, and families first. Topping that list: roll back the EPA’s overreaching natural gas tax.

Just before leaving office, the Biden-Harris administration’s Environmental Protection Agency rushed through a rule imposing harshly punitive methane fees on American oil and gas producers. Like a final lump of coal delivered on Christmas Eve, these regulations were less about clean air and more about forcing a radical environmental agenda that puts the interests of foreign-funded green activists ahead of America’s own energy security. According to the EPA:

“$900 per metric ton of wasteful emissions in CY 2024, increasing to $1,200 for CY 2025, and $1,500 for CY 2026 and beyond.”

That schedule was scribbled together by the EPA after Americans rejected their agenda at the ballot box. It will ramp-up in costs, designed to throttle our energy producers, and raise prices for every American. These methane fees puts our economic strength and national security at risk by making the U.S. more dependent on foreign suppliers.

Why This Matters:

1. Energy Independence Under Attack: After years of hard-fought progress toward energy independence, the Biden-Harris crew wanted to end it all on their terms—saddling American producers with burdensome fees and regulations. The result? Reduced domestic output, higher prices at the pump, and more reliance on nations that do not have America’s best interests at heart.
2. Crippling Small Producers: Top-down mandates crush smaller, family-run operations. When energy producers are driven out of business by federal overreach, local economies suffer—and so do American consumers, whose heating bills and grocery prices eventually reflect these misguided policies.
3. False Environmental Narratives: This natural gas tax was pushed under the guise of environmental stewardship, but it does little more than pad the pockets of green special interests. Methane emissions have been on a downward trend thanks to innovation and improved industry practices, not suffocating fees. Imposing this top-down rule shows that the Biden-Harris administration cared more about political legacy-building than balanced real solutions.

Our Christmas Wish:

In contrast to the outgoing administration’s desperate last-minute moves, we believe the Trump team can restore sanity and sovereignty to America’s energy policy. That is why we are calling on the incoming Trump administration to immediately begin rolling back the EPA’s natural gas tax. This means swiftly rescinding the fee structure and any associated red tape so that American energy producers can get back to work serving our nation’s needs without being hobbled by the heavy hand of government overreach.

By eliminating unnecessary fees, embracing technological advancements, and empowering American producers to deliver reliable, affordable energy, we can unlock tremendous economic prosperity. Americans deserve affordable energy, good-paying jobs, and an EPA that serves the national interest, not radical foreign-funded environmental groups.

This is just the first item on our Christmas wish list. Stay tuned for more as we urge the incoming administration to prioritize policies that keep America strong, safe, and energy independent. Together, we can ensure that the holiday season ushers in not just a new year, but a new era for American energy.