In its latest gift to oil and gas companies, the Trump administration is expected to announce plans today to weaken rules that guard against methane leaks.

Methane is a smog-forming pollutant and a powerful greenhouse gas that’s up to 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide on a 20-year horizon. It’s the primary component of what the fossil fuel industry calls “natural gas” that routinely leaks from oil and gas wells and pipelines.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reversing course on its previous efforts to plug those leaks. As part of President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda, the EPA plans to undo Biden-era rules that were expected to cut methane emissions by 80 percent over 14 years .

Methane has caused about 30 percent of global warming

The EPA teased the rule change earlier this month, saying in a press release that it was “days away” from making the proposal.…