Curbs on Methane, Potent Greenhouse Gas, to Be Relaxed in U.S.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration laid out on Thursday a far-reaching plan to cut back on the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change.

Leaks from natural gas drilling, shipping and storage are one of the
main sources of methane emissions in the United States.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule aims to eliminate federal requirements that oil and gas companies install technology to detect and fix methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities. It would also reopen the question of whether the E.P.A. had the legal authority to regulate methane as a pollutant. 

The rollback plan is particularly notable because major energy companies have, in fact, spoken out against it — joining automakers, electric utilities and other industrial giants that have opposed other administration initiatives to dismantle climate-change and environmental rules. 

Read the story from The New York Times by Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport - “Curbs on Methane, Potent Greenhouse Gas, to Be Relaxed in U.S..”