As first reported in the Washington Examiner, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced bicameral legislation to protect small producers in America from burdensome, Biden-era federal air pollution rules. The legislation would primarily target the emissions requirements on stripper wells or low producing wells.
Some are raising questions about the impact on the environment because the measure would exempt low-producing oil wells from federal air quality regulations. One estimate said Oklahoma has 40,000 to 50,000 such wells.
An announcement by Rep. Pfluger’s office stated, “Small oil and gas producers play an essential role in maintaining America’s energy independence and supporting local economies. Despite operating marginal wells with comparatively low emissions and limited resources, many of these independent operators are being squeezed by costly Biden-era regulations designed for large-scale producers. Without targeted regulatory relief, many of these small businesses risk shutting down wells that American energy dominance depends on.”
The Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026 is a commonsense solution that ensures small producers can continue operating to help maintain a stable and secure energy supply by amending the Clean Air Act to exempt smaller producers from certain federal air pollution rules.
“America’s energy security depends on the strength of our domestic production, and small producers are a critical part of that equation. Too often, these operators are disadvantaged by costly, one-size-fits-all regulations that were never designed with their operations in mind. Through targeted, commonsense reforms to the Clean Air Act, this bill will help keep small producers in business, protect American jobs, and preserve the stable domestic energy supply our economy depends on,” said Rep. Pfluger
“Wyoming’s small oil and gas operators should not be subject to blanket federal regulations that were never designed for businesses their size. The Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act protects hundreds of small businesses and supports good-paying jobs by ensuring durable protection against shifting regulatory priorities across administrations,” said Senator Lummis.
The Lummis announcement declared, “Small, independent operators of low-producing “stripper” wells — which account for roughly 6% of total U.S. onshore oil production — are struggling to keep up with federal methane reporting and emissions control requirements under the Clean Air Act, costs that could force many to shut down and put jobs, state revenues, and domestic energy supply at risk. The Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act would write a clear exclusion for these wells directly into law, giving operators the long-term certainty that EPA rulemaking alone simply cannot guarantee.”
“The Petroleum Association of Wyoming thanks Senator Cynthia Lummis for her leadership on the Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026,” said Pete Obermueller, Petroleum Association of Wyoming. “This commonsense legislation protects Wyoming’s more than 400 small oil and natural gas operators from burdensome regulations while allowing the EPA to focus its resources on the largest emissions sources under the Clean Air Act. Nationally, stripper wells account for approximately 7% of domestic oil production while producing less than one-half of one percent of annual methane emissions. Senator Lummis’ bill appropriately excludes wells producing little or no methane from Section 111 regulations intended for large emissions sources, allowing the agency to better prioritize enforcement and regulatory resources.”
“The National Stripper Well Association (NSWA) would like to thank Senator Lummis for introducing the ‘Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026,“ said Patrick Montalban, Chairman, National Stripper Well Association. “This legislation corrects a misapplication of EPA resources by carving out a right-sized regulatory path for marginal production, without stripping the EPA of its broader industry authority. It’s the kind of common-sense solution NSWA strongly supports. It is in our national interest to support American energy, American jobs, and the small businesses that produce ~1 million-barrels-per-day and ~166 million-cubic-feet-per-day out of ~900,000 wells in 36 states.”
So far, no Oklahomans in the U.S. House have signed on in support of the bill.
The bill is supported in the House by Representatives Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Troy Balderson (OH-12), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Ron Estes (KS-04), Julie Fedorchak (ND-At-Large), Craig Goldman (TX-12), Bob Latta (OH-05), Tracey Mann (KS-01), Randy Weber (TX-14), Roger Williams (TX-25), and Gabe Evans (CO-08). It is supported in the Senate by Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and John Barrasso (R-WY).
Text of this legislation is available here.
