The newspaper, citing agency documents that have not yet been made public, said the EPA will propose loosening an Obama-era rule that mandates energy companies frequently inspect their oil and gas wells for methane leaks. The moves are the latest efforts this year to undo much of former President Barack Obama’s work to address man-made climate change, spurred by the release of greenhouse gas emissions. While methane makes up only about 10 percent of those emissions, the gas is about 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Current rules mandate energy companies inspect their drilling operations as often as every six months, and those found to be leaking methane must be repaired within 30 days. The rules would also allow energy operations in states with their own methane standards to abide by those rather than federal rules, even if local laws are far weaker.

Source: Huffington Post September 11, 2018 05:03 UTC