Donald Trump campaigned in Texas for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton as high fuel prices weigh on the November 3 elections. He was expected to announce a proposal easing methane rules for oil and gas producers.
Trump campaigned in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, with a later stop planned in Lubbock, seeking to boost Paxton and other Republicans. His rally took place near a tanker that he said held the first Venezuelan oil received under a U.S. deal; the oil is slated for refineries owned by ExxonMobil and Citgo, a White House official said.
At the Lubbock stop, Trump was expected to announce an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to roll back rules requiring companies to repair leaky equipment and check wells for methane leaks. The proposal would give relief to small, low-output wells, end a program for outside groups to report large leaks and ease rules aimed at phasing out routine gas flaring, the official said.
Trump's visit was his third to Texas this month to support Paxton, who is in a close race with Democrat James Talarico. Texas has voted Republican for 30 years, but a loss could complicate Republicans' effort to retain their slim Senate majority.
