A federal judge in Wyoming struck down most of the Obama-era rule limiting methane pollution from oil and gas operations on public lands yesterday. The judge ruled the Bureau of Land Management overstepped its statutory authority when it enacted the rule establishing methane leak detection and repair requirements because such actions are the purview of the EPA. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that, while it doesn’t linger as long in the atmosphere, is many times more potent than carbon dioxide at causing climate change. In statements, EDF said it was “disappointed, and deeply concerned” by the ruling, while the Western Energy Alliance, which represents energy producers, and the Independent Petroleum Association of America, were “overjoyed.”

Meanwhile, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard nine hours of oral arguments over the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, its replacement for the Obama-era Clean Power Plan which cut carbon emissions from power plants. The oral arguments mark the latest step in what is certain to be a protracted legal battle, one almost certain to come before the Supreme Court if President Trump is reelected. (Methane rule: The Hill, Politico Pro $; ACE/CPP arguments: (New York Times $, Politico Pro $, E&E $)