The EU methane regulation “has become a defining test of Europe’s ability to maintain ambitious climate and energy policies” the US lawmakers wrote.
Wester van Gaal
A week after 12 EU member states pressured the European Commission into pausing the bloc’s methane import rules, a group of US lawmakers have written to commission president Ursula von der Leyen urging her to hold the line.
US oil and gas companies and the senior members of the Donald Trump administration have lobbied hard to weaken the rule, and have been increasingly successful in winning EU support.
But the lawmakers write that “maintaining” the rules for all suppliers including those in the US is “essential” for both EU energy security and global climate goals and urged the commission “to ensure timely implementation and, above all, to preserve its ambition.”
The letter, dated 1 July and seen by EUobserver, was put together by Sean Casten, vice-chair of Congress’ environmental coalition, a caucus of roughly 100 House Democrats, and co-signed by four fellow representatives.
A spokesperson said “more congressional support is expected in the coming weeks” adding that “this core group chose to send their letter early to underscore the critical stakes.”
‘A defining test’
At last Friday’s (26 June) energy council in Luxembourg, a Czech-led group of member states, including the Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Belgium, pushed the commission to suspend the regulation’s import provisions for three years, citing legal uncertainty and supply risk.
The US lawmakers pushed back on that narrative, citing recent research from Norwegian market analyst Rystad Energy, which found “no credible evidence” that the regulation is driving current price increases or supply pressures.
That same research found EU-compliant gas supply could reach roughly three times EU demand next year, although in a later clarification the group said it hadn’t looked at the risk that some suppliers might reroute supplies over legal uncertainty (a risk yet another analyst doubted.)
The letter was sent following a visit to Brussels and Strasbourg as part of a congressional delegation from 15 to 17 June, where they met with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, commission executive vice-president Teresa Ribera, climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, and MEPs working on energy, environment and trade.
In those meetings, they kept hearing the “remarkably consistent message” that the methane regulation “has become a defining test of Europe’s ability to maintain ambitious climate and energy policies in the face of mounting geopolitical and commercial pressure.”
