EPA expected to undo methane leak rule for oil, gas industry
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration is expected to undo Obama-era rules designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields and pipelines, formalizing the changes Thursday in the heart of the nation's most prolific natural gas reservoir and in the premier presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to sign the rollback of the 2016 methane emissions rule in Pittsburgh in an event the agency touted as an announcement on the Trump administration's efforts to "strengthen and promote American energy.”
The precise details of the final rule remain under wraps after the EPA first proposed the rollback last year.
But states, including California, and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups warn that last year's proposed changes would be illegal — not to mention a setback in the fight against climate change — and could quickly sue to block it.
The White House took the event to Pittsburgh, home to the headquarters of many companies exploring the Marcellus Shale, the booming natural gas reservoir that vaulted Pennsylvania to the nation's No. 2 gas state, behind Texas.
Pennsylvania is of prime importance in November's presidential election, and the natural gas industry is already playing a central role in TV campaign ads in the state.
Preventing methane leaks from well-site equipment and pipelines has become important for regulators because methane is a potent greenhouse gas, over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period, according to climate researchers.
The oil and gas industry is responsible for nearly 30% of the nation’s methane emissions, according to the EPA.
The Trump...
