The Trump administration is moving forward on rolling back an Obama-era rule designed to reduce methane emissions, despite outspoken opposition from the oil and gas industry, according to NPR. The Trump administration rule would eliminate a 2016 requirement that oil and gas companies monitor and limit methane leaks from wells, compressor stations and other operations.
Major corporations like Shell, BP an Exxon Mobil Corp with big natural gas portfolios have been vocal about their opposition to the rollbacks.
“The negative impacts of leaks and fugitive emissions have been widely acknowledged for years, so it’s frustrating and disappointing to see the administration go in a different direction,” said Gretchen Watkins, Shell’s president in the United States.