Why Trump's Moves to Unchain Methane Terrify Climate Scientists
- Agencies relaxing mandates to plug methane leaks at oil wells
- Critics fear EPA will drop regulation of the greenhouse gas
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For as long as people have been drilling for oil, they have been releasing methane into the atmosphere.
Methane is often found in the same place as oil and, as a chief component of natural gas, is a valuable source of energy in its own right. But when methane sneaks out of oil wells, escapes from pipelines or is vented as a nuisance it is a superpollutant blamed for up to a quarter of the planet’s warming.