The Obama administration said it will issue rules to cut leaks of climate-warming methane, a step the oil and gas industry warned could choke the U.S. energy renaissance fueled by hydraulic fracturing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it will propose rules later this year targeting new oil-and-gas equipment, aiming to cut emissions 40 percent to 45 percent by 2025. It also will expand voluntary programs with states and industry on equipment already in use, a move that falls short of the new mandates environmentalists sought. “We are outlining a comprehensive set of steps that will have a positive effect on the climate, on the economy and on public health,” Dan Utech, the top White House adviser on climate and energy, said on a conference call with reporters. By 2025, the efforts will reduce gas leaks enough to heat 2 million homes a year, he said. The announcement […]