Trump Reboots Obama Climate Rules by Axing Methane Curbs

  • EPA rescinds oilfield curbs on planet-warming methane gas
  • Retreat could prompt tougher scrutiny of U.S. gas in Europe
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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The Trump administration’s withdrawal of curbs on methane emissions from oil wells and related equipment threatens to disadvantage U.S. energy producers touting natural gas as a green alternative to coal.

The final rules, unveiled Thursday by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler in Pittsburgh, may provoke a backlash in Europe, where regulators are developing a methane strategy and eyeing tougher scrutiny of the carbon footprint of energy imports.