American Petroleum Institute v. EPA

On May 18, 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold cases challenging methane emissions standards for sources in the oil and natural gas sector in abeyance while EPA reviewed the regulations pursuant to President Trump’s executive order on “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth.” EPA must file status reports with the court every 60 days. After EPA requested that the cases be held in abeyance in early April, the agency also sent a letter on April 18 indicating that it would convene a proceeding for reconsideration of two issues related to fugitive emissions in the final standards published in June 2016. On June 5, EPA published notice in the Federal Register that it was granting reconsideration of two additional elements of the June 2016 standards—the standards for well site pneumatic pumps and the requirements for certification by a professional engineer. EPA also stayed implementation of those aspects of the regulations for 90 days pending reconsideration.