US Democrats urge Brussels to stick to methane rules

US Democrats are urging the European Commission to resist mounting commercial pressure and the Trump administration’s demands that the bloc scrap its methane rules, despite warnings that transatlantic energy exports, which are now the bloc’s second-largest provider, could decline if the rules remain in place.

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“At a time when the EU’s methane rules are facing increasing pressure to be delayed or weakened by fossil fuel interests, maintaining clear, consistent rules for all suppliers is essential to strengthening Europe’s energy security, while also reducing highly potent greenhouse gas emissions,” reads a 1 July letter sent by five US lawmakers, Sean Casten, Herbert C. Conaway Jr., Maxine Dexter, Syndey Kamlager-Dove and Deborah K. Ross.

The call comes at a critical moment as fossil fuel interests step up pressure on Brussels to delay or weaken the incoming methane rules, while the European Commission is expected to recommend that EU governments suspend penalties for non-compliance for three years.

A group of 28 climate organisations recently contested the basis on which several EU countries have been asking the Commission to scrap the methane rules, arguing they rely on flawed data and that separate energy security concerns regarding cost impacts are “overstated”.

“The non-paper makes incorrect statements about cost and energy security impacts that rely on false assumptions that large volumes of fuels will require strict traceability requirements,” reads the letter by the 28 signatories.

EU member states adopted methane rules in May 2024, introducing the bloc’s first framework for measuring, reporting and verifying methane emissions in the energy sector as part of efforts to curb one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

Generated mainly by fossil fuel production and livestock digestion, methane has a global warming potential more than 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. The International Energy Agency says the gas is responsible for about 30 percent of the rise in global temperature since the Industrial Revolution.

Critics of the bloc’s methane rules have frequently blamed stringent environmental compliance for volatile energy prices. However, American lawmakers sharply countered this narrative, citing fresh data from the independent energy research and business intelligence firm Rystad Energy, which shows “no credible evidence” linking the bloc’s methane rules to recent oil or gas price surges.

Instead, the US lawmakers classified the EU’s methane rules as a vital “waste prevention measure”, citing IEA estimates showing that global efforts to curb operational methane leaks and non-emergency flaring could unlock 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually.

The estimates suggest a roughly doubling of the volume lost to major geopolitical disruptions, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about 20% of global oil and gas flows before the US–Israel war with Iran.

Climate policy as hard power

Following a series of recent high-level meetings in Strasbourg and Brussels, the US lawmakers noted a striking consensus among EU lawmakers: climate policy is no longer a standalone green issue and the future of the methane rules will be a “defining test” of the bloc’s geopolitical resilience and industrial competitiveness.

By penalising high-emission imports through carbon pricing rules, US lawmakers argue, global market rules will be encouraged to follow the EU’s stance, to reward innovation, enforce corporate transparency and shield supply chains from carbon-intensive vulnerabilities.

The plea comes as worldwide methane emissions are still rising despite a global pledge adopted in 2021 by several countries, the COP30 climate summit warned, putting a critical goal for mitigating climate change in severe danger.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reinforced the plea during the London Climate Action Week, urging bold action to reduce methane emissions as the quickest short-term solution to address global warming.

The US lawmakers defend a unified front to protect predictable market rules, noting that backsliding on methane would send a damaging signal to global investors who have already channelled capital into CO2 emissions monitoring technologies.

“We respectfully encourage the European Commission to stay the course and are committed to working with key partners to support implementation,” reads the letter.

“Preserving the integrity of the EU’s methane rules will reinforce Europe’s leadership at a moment when climate ambition is increasingly inseparable from security, competitiveness and geopolitical resilience.”