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.
"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".
