U.S. lawmakers urge EU to maintain strong methane import standards
A group of U.S. Members of Congress has urged the European Union to preserve its Methane Regulation, showing strong support for new rules slated to reduce global emissions.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Energy Ministers of EU Member States, the lawmakers argue that the EU should not grant undue exemptions for U.S. operators if U.S. methane standards fall short in accuracy or enforcement, and don’t meet the standards set in the EU. They also call on the EU to retain the regulation’s current timelines, scope, and penalties for noncompliance, and to avoid blanket grandfathering of U.S. contracts.
Under the EU Methane Regulation, imported oil and gas must meet transparency and performance requirements. Granting regulatory equivalency would determine whether U.S. exporters can rely on domestic rules instead of complying directly with EU standards.
Jonathan Banks, Global Director, Methane Pollution Prevention at Clean Air Task Force, said:
“This letter underscores a growing transatlantic and global consensus that maximizing methane reductions demonstrates the kind of action that global consumers increasingly are factoring into their purchasing decisions.
U.S. companies that have already invested in methane measurement and emissions management have a competitive advantage that many are seeking to highlight. Strong, enforceable standards like the EU Methane Regulation reward that investment and provide the certainty serious producers need.”
The European Union is one of the world’s largest importers of fossil fuels. Roughly 85.6 percent of natural gas consumed in the EU was supplied by imports in 2024, almost half of which originated in the United States, by far the leading supplier of LNG to the EU. That gives the EU significant influence over methane management practices across global energy supply chains.
Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, trapping more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere. Because it is short-lived, reducing methane emissions delivers climate benefits quickly. Available technologies can substantially reduce methane from oil and gas operations, making methane mitigation one of the fastest opportunities to slow near-term warming while reducing waste of natural gas.
The EU Methane Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1787) entered into force in 2024. It establishes binding requirements for methane measurement and reporting, leak detection and repair, limits on routine venting and flaring, and transparency obligations for oil and gas placed on the EU market, including imports. The full legal text is available here.
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About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organisation working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalysing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 30 years of internationally recognised expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
