Rubbish Check
Fox Business · October 27, 2026 source
“Trump announces end of Biden-era methane rule, citing $45B in savings”
R4/ 10
Selective
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates Fox Business's headline on Trump's methane rule rollback a 4/10 because it correctly attributes the $45 billion and 210-million-barrel figures to Trump's own rally claim via "citing," but omits that these are the administration's unverified numbers for ending leak-detection requirements, not an independent cost-benefit finding.
The Verdict
Selective, not deceptive. The word "citing" does real work here: it flags the $45B figure as Trump's claim rather than Fox's own finding, which is more honest than many outlets managed. But the headline still launders a self-interested administration estimate into a clean-sounding savings number without noting what's actually being cut (leak-detection for major emitters) or that environmental groups dispute the framing entirely.
What actually happened
Trump announced at a Lubbock, Texas rally that his administration is terminating the Biden-era EPA methane rule, which included the "Super Emitter Program" requiring oil and gas companies to find and fix major methane leaks. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previewed the changes last month, saying they would eliminate the agency's "Super Emitter Program" that requires companies to investigate and repair major methane releases from oil and natural gas facilities, and loosen standards for smaller wells. Trump framed the move as unlocking $45 billion in savings and 210 million barrels of oil.
Key facts
- Trump's claim, as quoted in the article: "terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs… and produce 210 million barrels of oil."
- Trump said during a campaign rally in Texas that the change would save companies and consumers billions of dollars and unlock 210 million barrels of oil, which the AP notes is equivalent to about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption, context Fox's headline and body omit.
- The rule being scrapped is the Super Emitter Program, which Zeldin confirmed last month would be eliminated, alongside looser standards for smaller oil and gas wells, per the Fox article itself.
- Methane is the main component of natural gas and a major greenhouse gas; oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane emissions, according to the AP, as cited in Fox's own piece.
- Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp pushed back directly, as quoted in the article: "EPA should be fighting this waste, not making it easier."
What to watch for
- Whether EPA's formal rule reconsideration (still under OIRA review per other coverage) actually matches the $45B figure once published, or lands lower.
- Follow-up reporting on methane leak rates once the Super Emitter Program ends, since that's the direct tradeoff against the claimed savings.
- Whether industry pressure (API and major producers) that lobbied against the Super Emitter Program gets scrutiny as the source of momentum behind this rollback.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.