The EPA Is Rescinding Obama-Era Methane Regulations

The EPA is rescinding Obama-era methane regulations that were put in place to help fight climate change.

Oil and gas companies will no longer be required to detect leaks in their systems. That means the EPA has no emissions oversight of the nation's largest pipelines and storage sites. 

The oil and gas industry is responsible for nearly 30% of U.S. methane emissions. And EPA scientists have warned their own agency that methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, with the oil and gas industry among the largest emitters.

It's one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to dismantle environmental protection laws as part of its deregulation efforts.