The Trump administration is rolling back regulations designed to limit methane emissions from oil and gas operations. Media split in its reporting of how the decision will save consumers money and how it'll negatively impact global warming.

The Details: During a rally in Texas on Tuesday, President Trump announced plans to weaken federal methane regulations from the Biden administration, saying it would reduce costs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was preparing to ease requirements for low-producing oil and gas wells and end a program targeting major methane leaks, allowing for more routine flaring of natural gas. The Trump administration has said the existing rules impose excessive energy costs for producers and consumers. The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) reported the EPA estimated the changes could save $45 billion.

For Context: The Biden administration established its methane regulations in 2023, which required oil and gas companies to monitor and address leaks from existing and new facilities. It estimated the regulations would reduce methane emissions by about 80% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. According to the Journal, studies have shown that the gas wells account for approximately 60% of methane emissions from US natural-gas production and about 40% of those from US oil production.

How the Media Covered It: NBC News (Lean Left) framed the decision as coming ahead of midterms, where "numerous polls show that high fuel costs are a key issue for many voters." It also reported that scientists "consider methane to be about 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide" and is "responsible for roughly one-third of all global warming." Fox Business (Lean Right) quoted Trump saying the rollback will "save consumers and energy producers…$45 billion, while unlocking 210 millions of barrels of oil." In his speech, Trump emphasized the previous policy came from the "crooked" Biden administration. Wall Street Journal said "large oil and gas producers have supported federal methane regulations…because they want to keep selling their product to climate-minded buyers abroad."

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The Pentagon is reportedly planning for every major US military base to continue operating without outside help for 90 days if an attack cuts off power and supply chains.

'Mostly True': Snopes (Lean Left bias), in a fact-check article, called the claim "mostly true." The article highlighted a Fox News (Right) article that reported exclusively on the 90-day requirement and quoted Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell throughout the coverage. Snopes said that while Parnell shared the Fox report on X, he did not explicitly confirm the requirement and explained that this was why the outlet rated the claim "mostly true." The outlet also featured a video posted to Facebook explaining the plan, adding that the user who posted the video suggested that the plan "would leave civilians 'on their own' by taking away investment from shared resources."  

'Unprecedented Plan': Outlets on the right like Fox News and ZeroHedge (Lean Right) highlighted the "doomsday" nature of the plan, with ZeroHedge calling it "unprecedented." ZeroHedge said that "the ongoing threats to America's power grid come from both foreign adversaries and domestic saboteurs," and mentioned that "In February 2024, the NSA and other federal agencies warned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers linked to Volt Typhoon had compromised critical U.S. infrastructure networks, including energy, water, transportation, and communications systems."

'Planning For Disruptions': Fortune (Center) highlighted that America is not the only country preparing for disaster or attack, explaining that "Britain is telling families to keep canned food, bottled water, and cash on hand to get through three days of disruption." The article added that "the two efforts aren't known to be coordinated, and neither government has said that a new war is imminent," but added that "both are planning for disruptions that could leave homes and military installations without the services they depend on."

FORTRESS: The 90-day requirement is a part of the so-called Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability (FORTRESS), which is "a broader military initiative aimed at ensuring American forces can continue fighting even if the civilian systems they depend on are disrupted," according to the Fox News article. The initiative was initially announced on September 30 by Pete Hegseth during a "State of the Force" speech in Quantico, Virginia. The plan, Fox laid out, "envisions portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids," but also includes plans for water, food, munitions, fuel, and "laying the groundwork for civilian factories to shift to defense production during a crisis."

RELATED: Hegseth Describes Culture Shift, New Military Projects in 'State of the Force' Speech 

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Voters in Tennessee, including Dolly Parton's sister Stella Parton, have taken to social media with complaints of malfunctioning voting machines that have defaulted to Republican candidates, sparking rumors of foul play. Local and national outlets across the political spectrum spoke with Tennessee officials about the potential user errors that have contributed to the issue.

The Details: Stella Parton wrote on Facebook, "In Tennessee last week at the Hermitage Library where I voted, I had to go back three times and correct my vote because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn… Don't let them rig this election." Marsha Blackburn is the Republican candidate running for governor in Tennessee. The post received over 19.7 thousand reactions at the time of publication and sparked hundreds of comments from people who said they, or people they know, experienced something similar when voting early.

For Context: The Tennessee coordinator of elections Mark Goins said that this is a user error relating to the touch screens used to fill out the paper ballots rather than election interference. "It's not a vote flipping situation. It's normally like an unintended touch that they may not even realize," Goins said. The Davidson County Elections Administrator John Richardson told a local news channel that the county will provide voters with styluses to help prevent the touch screen issue moving forward. A Democratic lawmaker in Tennessee told the Tennessee Lookout (Lean Left bias) that while she doesn't "think it's indicative of any foul play," this is an issue that "keeps coming up and it needs to be addressed after this election, because it's not acceptable that people are having these problems."

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum tended to clarify the potential user error issue with the machines rather than emphasizing rumors that the election was rigged. ABC News (Lean Left) addressed challenges with voting machines on a national level, writing that issues with touchscreen machines "don't signal election rigging." ABC claimed that "election officials say the touchscreen challenges are almost always the result of user error or an easily fixed screen miscalibration and say the number of complaints this year isn't higher than it has been in years past." It addressed social media claims about difficulties with machines in Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, and other states. Forbes (Center) noted that "this isn't the first year voters have reported problems with machines changing selections" and that there are known issues with some of the older touchscreen machines, including the ones used in many parts of Tennessee. ZeroHedge (Lean Right) reported on Parton's Facebook post and included various statements from state officials denying the alleged "vote flipping situation." ZeroHedge also wrote that voter turnout in Nashville, Tennessee, is already 15 times higher than it was in the 2022 midterm.

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