Urge U.S. EPA review certain energy security, oil and gas rules

hcr47_00_IN

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. C. R. No. 47

2025-2026

Representatives
Mathews, A., Moore

A
c o n c u r r e n t R E S O L U T I O N

To
urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review and
reconsider certain rules that impact our country's energy security
and Ohio's small conventional oil and gas operators.

BE
IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE
SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS,
The State of Ohio and its smaller conventional oil and gas operators
play an instrumental role in supporting American energy dominance
both within the country and globally at a time when American energy
is most essential; and

WHEREAS,
The rules issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) under the previous Biden Administration are having
devastating impacts on our nation's energy security and Ohio's oil
and gas producers, particularly the rules under 40 C.F.R. Part 60
Subparts OOOOb and OOOOc, commonly referred to as the "Methane
Rule"; and

WHEREAS,
President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on April 8, 2025,
aimed at "Protecting American Energy from State Overreach"
urging federal agencies, including the USEPA, to review and reduce
regulatory burdens on domestic energy production, including
environmental and climate-related measures that affect oil and gas
regulations; and

WHEREAS,
The Methane Rule has wide-ranging detrimental impacts on Ohio's small
oil and gas operators and, if left in place, could potentially shut
down an important part of Ohio's energy sector, which employs
thousands of our constituents; and

WHEREAS,
The Methane Rule has already caused new conventional oil and gas
drilling in the state to decline dramatically over the past few
years, and those remaining conventional wells that are able to come
online typically produce between fifty to one hundred barrels per day
for several years before their natural decline brings production
below the historical standard for a marginal well of fifteen barrels
per day; and

WHEREAS,
The Methane Rule, as implemented, prevents routine venting or flaring
off the associated gas from these wells, which was previously
considered the safest and most feasible options for marginal wells;
and

WHEREAS,
The Methane Rule currently requires that marginal wells be connected
to a sales line as the primary economically productive option for
handling the well's associated gas, which in Ohio can cost more than
$500,000 to accomplish, thus rendering the well uneconomical from the
start; and

WHEREAS,
Ohio is facing historic electricity demand growth, while demand for
oil and natural gas continues to grow, and it is critically important
that we work to ensure an effective and efficient regulatory
structure to promote energy production in Ohio and across the nation;
now therefore be it

RESOLVED,
That we, the members of the 136th General Assembly of the State of
Ohio, urge the USEPA as it continues to review and reconsider its
current rules related to energy production to consider one or more of
the following revisions:

1.
An exemption for low-production oil wells from the Methane Rule,
based on tons per year in excess at a level of twenty tons per year,
or to allow for the continuation of venting and flaring for this
small but important sector of the industry;

2.
To classify conventional operators as a "small well site"
rather than continuing to consider them a "large well site"
and thus subject to the same regulations as large-scale shale
operations, which brings substantial compliance burdens for the
smaller operators;

3.
To consider extending the concessions granted to the State of Alaska
regarding pneumatic controls for all remote areas that do not have
electricity hook-ups available and for areas where temperatures are
below freezing for more than thirty days per year; or

4.
To consider granting an exemption from the Methane Rule for marginal
wells, with fifteen barrels of oil equivalent per day as the standard
for any marginal well exemption; and be it further

RESOLVED,
That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly
authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the
United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of
Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the
United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional
delegation, the Administrator of the USEPA, and the news media of
Ohio.