A federal court on Thursday paused a rescission by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Obama-era regulations to curb methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.

US methane emission sources

Swift legal action against the sweeping rule change had been promised by environmental advocates, and judicial intervention had been widely anticipated by experts.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered an administrative stay of the rule change, pending review of a request by 10 environmental groups led by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for summary vacatur.

“EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s decision to repeal life-saving pollution standards for oil and gas methane would harm public health and create uncertainty for industry,” EDF lead attorney Peter...