Tertius News is an AI-native newsroom: an AI model reads the source articles linked below — on this story, all of them from one outlet — and extracts what that outlet reported, claim by claim. How this works →
I Cold-Called President Trump. Here’s What He Told Me About an Oil Tycoon and Major Donor.
ProPublica reports that the Trump administration is planning to roll back methane regulations issued under Biden, a move that could benefit oil billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand, a major Trump donor. The investigation reveals Hildebrand's company, Hilcorp, is a top methane emitter and that a former Hildebrand lobbyist is assisting in rewriting EPA rules. The article also includes a personal account from the reporter, who cold-called President Trump to discuss his relationship with Hildebrand.
A new investigation by ProPublica reveals that the Trump administration is planning to weaken restrictions on oil and gas wells that produce very little energy but release vast amounts of methane. The move is set to benefit oil billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand, a major donor to President Donald Trump, whose company Hilcorp is one of the top methane emitters in the United States.
The reporting also includes a personal account from a ProPublica journalist who cold-called President Trump to ask about his relationship with Hildebrand. During the call, Trump appeared unfamiliar with Hildebrand's business but was aware of the Biden administration's methane rules and said his administration would do the opposite.
Coverage Comparison
The story is based on ProPublica's reporting, which includes two pieces: an investigative report and a first-person account. The investigative report focuses on the policy details, highlighting that the Biden administration had issued rules aimed at cutting methane pollution from oil and gas operations by 80%. The Trump administration is now planning to roll back those rules, which could lead to increased methane emissions and contribute to climate change.
The first-person article adds a personal dimension, detailing the reporter's experience of cold-calling the president and the surreal nature of the exchange. This piece also reiterates the potential impact of the rollback on the environment and public health.
Both articles share a critical tone, emphasizing the influence of major donors on environmental policy and the potential consequences for the climate.
Key Claims
The Trump administration is planning to roll back methane rules issued by the Biden administration, which aimed to cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations by 80%.
Jeffery Hildebrand, a major Trump donor, is set to benefit from weakened restrictions on low-producing oil and gas wells that release vast amounts of methane.
A former Hildebrand lobbyist is rewriting the EPA's methane rules with input from oil industry groups backed by Hildebrand.
Hilcorp, Hildebrand's company, has a history of environmental violations and is one of the top methane emitters in the US.
Stripper wells, like those owned by Hildebrand, contribute just 6% of the nation's oil and natural gas but are responsible for roughly half the sector's methane emissions.
Limiting methane pollution from oil and gas operations could bring a swift payoff in the fight against climate change.
The technology to curb emissions from oil and gas operations is already viable and fairly cheap.
President Trump appeared unfamiliar with Hildebrand's business but was aware of the Biden administration's methane rules and said his administration would do the opposite.
How this outlet told it
ProPublica
Framing: Investigative report on Trump's ties to the oil industry and the planned rollback of methane rules — Critical and investigative
Facts Included:
Trump's EPA plans to weaken restrictions on oil and gas wells that produce very little energy but release vast amounts of methane
Jeffery Hildebrand, a major Trump donor, is set to reap the benefits of the weakened restrictions
A former Hildebrand lobbyist is rewriting the EPA's methane rules with input from oil industry groups backed by Hildebrand
Hilcorp, Hildebrand's company, has a history of environmental violations and is one of the top methane emitters in the US
The Biden administration had issued rules aimed at cutting methane pollution from oil and gas operations by 80%
The Trump administration is planning to roll back these rules, which could lead to increased methane emissions and climate change
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Trump administration is planning to roll back methane rules that were issued by the Biden administration, which aimed to cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations by 80%.
ClaimJeffery Hildebrand, a major Trump donor, is set to reap the benefits of the weakened restrictions on oil and gas wells that produce very little energy but release vast amounts of methane.
ClaimStripper wells, like those owned by Hildebrand, contribute just 6% of the nation's oil and natural gas, but are responsible for roughly half the sector's methane emissions.
ClaimPresident Trump appeared to be unfamiliar with Hildebrand's business, but was aware of the Biden administration's methane rules and said that his administration would do the opposite.