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EPA boss Scott Wheeler in Washington on June 19, 2019. McNamee / Getty Images / AFP

The US Environmental Protection Agency announces its intention to repeal a regulation that aims to limit methane emissions. The measure to help the oil and gas industry, however, is disputed by several industry leaders.

With our correspondent in Washington, Anne Corpet

The requirement for oil and gas companies to detect and repair methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities will soon be abolished, according to EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency.

Since the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House , this body has continued to unravel the legislation put in place by Barack Obama. According to the administration, the aim is to enable the industries concerned to save between $ 17 and $ 19 million a year.

Groups concerned hostile to this deregulation

But major oil companies like BP, Exxon Mobil or Royal Dutch Shell have declared themselves hostile to this deregulation. These companies have invested millions of dollars to promote natural gas as a much cleaner energy than coal, and fear a hostile reaction from consumers.

Environmental advocates denounce them a major step back in the fight against global warming, and promise to attack the administration in court as soon as the measure will be effective. The heating power of methane in the atmosphere is twenty times higher than that of carbon dioxide.