(Michael Stravato | The New York Times) Natural gas flares at a well site north of Odessa, Texas, Jan. 29, 2016. The Trump administration is set to announce on Aug. 29, 2019, that it intends to sharply curtail the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change, according to an industry official with knowledge of the plan. Leaks from natural gas drilling, shipping and storage are one of the main sources of methane emissions in the U.S.