The Trump administration has done many favors for the fossil fuel industry. In addition to allowing more pollution from coal and gas power plants and derailing clean energy, the administration is taking steps to keep the public from even knowing how much climate-warming greenhouse gases – like carbon dioxide and methane – are being emitted.

Currently, the federal government requires companies to measure their output of heat-trapping pollution and report it to the EPA. But in a March 2025 press release, the EPA said that reporting greenhouse gases is burdensome, and EPA Administrator Lee Zelden said the requirements to document climate-warming pollution hurt “the ability to achieve the American dream.” So the EPA may eventually allow facilities like power plants or oil refineries to stop reporting how much climate pollution they’re emitting.

But polluters still won’t be able to escape scrutiny.

At this very moment, instruments on board satellites, airplanes, and the International Space Station are steadfastly measuring plumes of methane and carbon dioxide drifting from power plants, refineries, and pipelines. These programs have been operating for years but aren’t widely known. This article is the first in a series that will showcase the instruments, highlight their top-level findings, and illustrate how anyone can use these tools to become a climate sleuth.