Five Democratic members of the United States Congress sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday 1 July, asking her to preserve the ambition of the ‘methane’ regulation (2024/1787) and implement it. The regulation was criticised a few days ago by the US government and three other oil and gas exporting countries (see EUROPE 13896/5).
The letter follows a visit to Brussels and Strasbourg by the United States Congress’s Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition from 15 to 17 June. They took part in a debate on methane emissions in the energy sector in the presence of European companies and NGOs, organised by the Sustainable Public Affairs lobby, and met representatives of the Commission and the European Parliament.
“The ‘methane’ regulation has established the European Union as a global leader in methane mitigation”, write the members of Congress. “Its continued robust implementation will reinforce regulatory certainty, encourage investment in proven methane reduction technologies, and demonstrate that market-based environmental standards can advance both economic and strategic interests”.
In their view, this regulation is a major energy security instrument in a context where “LNG can be worse for the climate than even the coal it replaces”.
“We offer our support to work together with the Trump Administration, the European Union, industry, and relevant experts to ensure robust implementation”, they add.
Letter from the members of Congress: https://aeur.eu/f/mpt (Original version in French by Nadège Delépine)