Democrats move to reinstate methane rules loosened by Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats are moving to reinstate regulations designed to limit potent greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields, part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to combat climate change.

The Senate is set to take up a resolution Wednesday that would undo an environmental rollback by President Donald Trump that relaxed requirements of a 2016 Obama administration rule targeting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.

The Environmental Protection Agency approved the rule last year. The agency's former administrator, Andrew Wheeler, declared the change would “strengthen and promote American energy'' while saving companies tens of millions of dollars a year in compliance requirements.

Democrats and environmentalists called the methane rollback one of the Trump administration's most egregious actions to deregulate U.S. businesses, noting that methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, packing a stronger punch in the short term than even carbon dioxide.

Preventing methane leaks at oil and gas sites "is a huge part of how we prevent a 1.5 degree (Celsius) rise in global temperatures,'' a key aim of the climate movement, said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

Heinrich, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, is co-sponsoring the resolution under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn certain regulations that have been in place for a short time. The Trump rule was finalized last September.

Heinrich called the resolution “a no-brainer,” saying that preventing leaks of methane — a type of natural gas — will save companies money, put people to work and help prevent global warming. The measure is supported by all 50 Senate Democrats as well as Republican Sen. Susan...