EPA says it will rescind US 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.