EPA says will rescind policy targeting oil and gas industry methane leaks

​The US Environmental ‌Protection Agency on ​Wednesday said it is days away from proposing to rescind a Biden-era ‌policy that sought to rein in large leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations.

The ‌move is part of a broad Trump administration ‌effort to slash regulations that it says burden US businesses as it seeks to boost domestic fossil fuel production. "Americans must be able ⁠to ​afford to ⁠heat their homes in the winter and fill up their car ⁠and drive to work. They can’t do that when the people ​producing the energy are weighed down by unnecessary burdens," ⁠EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.

EPA said its proposal ⁠would ​save $45 billion a year. EPA's "super emitter" program requires companies to react when third parties report suspected methane ⁠leaks using remote sensing.

Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change ⁠after carbon ⁠dioxide, and the oil and gas industry is a major source of the gas.