As Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton led a 23-state coalition that sued EPA in January 2025 to block its fee on excess methane from oil and gas operations, and in March 2024 he petitioned a federal appeals court against EPA's methane standards for the industry. The fee rule was later fully repealed and the standards were delayed; Policy Integrity estimates the delay alone puts $9.3 billion a year in net benefits and 52 premature deaths a year at risk.
Paxton also praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which postponed the methane fee to calendar year 2034 and ends clean-energy tax credits; Rhodium Group now projects U.S. emissions will fall only 27-44 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, down from 38-56 percent before the law.
Ken Paxton's Lawsuits Against Methane Rules and His Praise for the Energy Law
- Paxton Led 23 States in Suing to Block EPA's Methane Fee on Oil and Gas Operations in January 2025. On January 16, 2025, Ken Paxton led a 23-State coalition to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its final rule setting a fee on methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, which his office called an unlawful tax. The methane fee rule was later fully repealed, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act postponed EPA's imposition of the program's charge. Policy Integrity estimates the repeal puts $236 million a year in net benefits at risk.
- Paxton Petitioned to Block EPA's Oil and Gas Methane Standards in March 2024. On March 8, 2024, Ken Paxton filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging EPA's final standards limiting methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas operations. EPA under Trump has since delayed the standards. Policy Integrity estimates the delay puts $9.3 billion a year in net benefits, $633 million in annual health benefits and 52 premature deaths a year at risk.
- Paxton Praised a Law That Delays the Methane Fee to 2034 and Ends Clean-Energy Credits. Ken Paxton posted on July 1, 2025 that the Senate-passed bill was "One step closer to massive tax cuts," and on July 3, 2025 that "President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is HISTORIC legislation." The law rescinded unobligated funds from the methane reduction program, moved the start of the methane charge from calendar year 2024 to calendar year 2034, and ends tax credits for wind, solar and electric vehicles. Rhodium Group now thinks the U.S. is on pace to reduce emissions 27-44 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, down from the 38-56 percent cut it predicted before the law, Scientific American reported. An Energy Innovation analysis of the House-passed version projected over 91 Mt CO2e in added Texas emissions in 2035, leading to 26 additional premature deaths annually by 2030 in Texas.
What the Methane Rollbacks and the Law Ken Paxton Praised Mean for Texas Air
- Air pollution deaths. An Energy Innovation analysis of the House-passed version of the law projected over 91 Mt CO2e in added Texas greenhouse gas emissions in 2035 and 26 additional premature deaths annually by 2030 in Texas from worse air pollution.
- Rollbacks. Nationally, Policy Integrity estimates that the federal rollbacks it tracks put 3,299 annual premature deaths and $156.6 billion in annual net benefits at risk, with the delayed oil and gas methane standards among the largest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ken Paxton on Climate and the environment
What is Ken Paxton's record on climate and the environment under Trump?
Ken Paxton led a 23-state lawsuit against EPA's methane fee in January 2025 and petitioned against EPA's oil and gas methane standards in 2024; the fee was later fully repealed and the standards delayed. He praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which postponed the methane fee and ends clean-energy credits. Policy Integrity estimates the methane delay alone puts 52 premature deaths a year at risk.
Did Ken Paxton sue over EPA methane rules?
Yes. Ken Paxton filed a petition in the D.C. Circuit against EPA's oil and gas methane standards on March 8, 2024, and led 23 states in suing over EPA's methane fee rule on January 16, 2025. His office called the fee an unlawful tax on the oil and gas industry.
What did the One Big Beautiful Bill Act do to the methane fee?
The law Ken Paxton praised moved the start of EPA's methane emissions charge on oil and gas operations from calendar year 2024 to calendar year 2034, and it rescinded unobligated funds from the methane reduction program, according to a Kirkland & Ellis summary of the law.
Last updated: 2026-10-25