Sen. Whitehouse, Rep. Peters Lead Colleagues in Calling on European Union Leadership to Uphold Strong Methane Standards

Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Congressman Scott Peters (CA-50) led 24 Members of Congress in urging the European Union to maintain robust and consistent implementation of the European Union Methane Regulation (EUMR) in the face of Trump Administration attacks. As the lawmakers made clear, weakening the EUMR or providing broad exemptions would undermine global energy security, worldwide climate progress, and fair competition for responsible U.S. energy producers.

In a letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Members emphasized how strong methane standards prevent natural gas waste and cut pollution around the world, writing, "The EUMR is a critical tool to incentivize the capture of natural gas that would otherwise be wasted and emitted into the atmosphere. Setting clear, consistent rules for all suppliers is essential to reduce trade barriers between countries with cleaner oil and gas, provide a credible foundation to reward producers-like many in the United States-that deploy readily available common-sense methane reduction technologies, and alleviate the EU's dependence on dirty natural gas from Russia."

Globally, methane emissions from the oil and gas sector waste 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year, which is nearly as much natural gas as the United States exports annually. Many U.S. companies are already world leaders on methane management and could easily comply with EUMR requirements. "U.S. industry is in a strong position to be a reliable supplier to the EU and comply with EUMR requirements, so long as it can rely on a durable and transparent EU regulatory landscape," wrote the lawmakers.

Despite the health and economic harms of failing to capture wasted gas, the Trump Administration has increasingly attacked the EUMR. In December, the Department of Energy wrote a letter demanding that the EU delay U.S. data reporting requirements, grandfather all U.S. contracts, and waive penalties for non-compliance from U.S. exports, all of which would enable continued methane pollution and undermine the durability of the EU's regulatory landscape. These efforts to weaken international methane standards mirror the Trump Administration's damaging domestic agenda, where the Environmental Protection Agency has delayed and intends to revise domestic methane regulations that would have generated billions of dollars in benefits for Americans.

Calling for a strategic and durable approach, the lawmakers urged the European Commission to address technical issues as they arise rather than grant broad, unearned exemptions. "We encourage the European Commission to conduct necessary technical consultations with relevant experts across American federal and state governmental entities, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations to support implementation of the EUMR, in lieu of issuing sweeping exemptions that go far beyond the technical and methodological implementation questions at hand," wrote the Members of Congress.

While urging continued, timely enforcement of the EUMR to support responsible energy producers and protect the climate, the Senators and Representatives reaffirmed their commitment to working with the EU, American industry, and the Trump Administration to address implementation challenges.

In addition to Ranking Member Whitehouse and Representative Peters, the letter was signed by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Don Beyer (VA-08), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Troy Carter (LA-02), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and George Whitesides (CA-27).

In September, Senator Whitehouse and Representative Peters also led 15 Members of Congress in calling for the European Commission's swift implementation of the EUMR.

Read the full letter here.