Colorado becomes first state to fully adopt the 2024 EPA methane standards

(BOULDER, CO) - Today Colorado became the first state to fully adopt existing source methane standards for oil and gas operations under the 2024 EPA methane rule.

Colorado's Air Quality Control Commission voted unanimously to improve the state's requirements for emissions control equipment associated with oil and gas production and align with the Energy & Carbon Management Commission's prohibition of routine venting and flaring. This is the third and final rulemaking to incorporate federal standards into state regulation, completing a journey that began in February 2025.

EDF analysis indicates that full implementation of the 2024 EPA methane standards in Colorado will have the equivalent climate impact of taking a half-million cars off the road and prevent enough natural gas waste to meet the heating and cooking needs of over 20,000 homes.

"Colorado leaders and regulators made a commitment to adopt the 2024 EPA methane protections in full, and today they kept that commitment," said Nini Gu, Senior Regulatory & Legislative Manager at Environmental Defense Fund. "At a time when federal methane protections are under threat, Colorado is showing that states can move forward, cut pollution and protect communities with strong, evidence-based rules."

The additions made today to the state's air quality rules address closed vent systems, covers, and enclosed combustion devices. Methane emissions from this equipment will be mitigated with more effective design and deployment and improved monitoring.

This rulemaking is a notable contrast to environmental rollbacks taking place at the federal level and sends an important signal that energy-producing states like Colorado can continue moving forward to reduce methane pollution and protect their air quality.

The AQCC adopted portions of the EPA methane rule in two previous updates to Regulation 7, the state's primary regulation governing oil and gas emissions: a February 2025 update that phased out natural-gas emitting devices and a February 2026 update to require instrument-based leak detection and repair at all well sites regardless of production level.

Colorado's methane rulemakings are important in that they apply to all well production facilities regardless of production level. The elimination of all natural gas-emitting pneumatic devices and the use of instrument-based leak detection and repair standards will be particularly important to reduce emissions from low-producing well sites.

Recent MethaneSAT satellite data analysis found that these types of wells are the largest source of methane pollution across U.S. oil and gas production, responsible for about half the nation's methane emissions despite contributing to less than 5 percent of total production.

Today's rulemaking was the third and final phase of the process. All three rulemakings resulted in unanimous votes by AQCC Commissioners.

Background:

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about 30% of the warming our planet is experiencing today. Reducing methane pollution is the fastest way to slow down the rate of climate change which is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, tornadoes, and wildfires.

Earlier this summer, a Colorado School of Mines researcher found that western drought is increasingly linked to climate change, and according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Colorado is still experiencing "exceptional" levels of drought.

Colorado has established itself as a national leader on oil and gas methane emissions reductions starting in 2014 when it became the first state in the nation to adopt oil and gas methane regulations. Colorado has continued to innovate and strengthen oil and gas methane regulation over the years since that initial rulemaking.

A 2025 EDF analysis of satellite data found that Colorado reduced methane emissions from its oil and gas sector by nearly 70% between 2010 and 2017.

Cleaner production is important for mitigating Colorado's ozone problem, as ozone-forming volatile organic compounds are released alongside methane during oil and gas operations. Breathing ozone can irritate the lungs, reduce lung function, trigger asthma attacks and worsen cardiovascular and respiratory disease.