In its quest to shower oil and gas companies with yet another perk, the Trump administration is poised to announce plans today that will ease the burden of methane leak regulations. Methane, a smog-inducing pollutant and a greenhouse gas up to 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year span, is the mainstay of the fossil fuel industry’s “natural gas” that frequently escapes from wells and pipelines. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reversing its course on previous efforts to curb these leaks, as part of President Donald Trump’s broader deregulatory agenda, undoing Biden-era rules that were extolled as the savior of the planet’s methane woes.

Yet, one cannot help but wonder if the Trump administration’s embrace of methane is more about appeasing the fossil fuel lobby than truly addressing climate change. The Biden-era rules, while not perfect, represented a significant step forward in quantifying and reducing methane emissions. By rolling back these rules, the Trump administration may be giving oil and gas companies a free pass to continue leaking methane unabated, with the planet paying the price in rising temperatures. The EPA’s decision seems to prioritize short-term convenience for industry over long-term environmental gains, suggesting that the administration might be trading a bit of climate stability for the comfort of its fossil fuel friends.

Moreover, the claim that methane is up to 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year horizon is accurate, but it’s worth noting that this potent effect diminishes over time. By focusing primarily on short-term reductions, the Trump administration’s rule changes might overlook the long-term implications of sustained methane emissions. The Biden-era rules, with their emphasis on measuring and fixing leaks, were designed to capture methane early in its lifecycle, ensuring that its potent warming effect is felt most during the critical first two decades after its release. Trump’s reversal could mean more methane slipping into the atmosphere unchecked, with less attention paid to its early impact on global temperatures.

Lastly, the Trump administration’s methane-friendly approach might be seen as a bit of a mixed bag. While it certainly makes life easier for fossil fuel companies by easing the regulatory squeeze, it also risks overlooking the broader picture of climate change. With methane leaks a significant contributor to global warming, the administration’s decision to soften the rules could be both a boon and a bane—boon for the industry, bane for the climate. As the planet continues to warm, the question remains whether the Trump administration’s methane-friendly policies will be enough to keep the heat in check, or if they’ll simply add another layer of warmth to an already roasting Earth.