Rep. Peters, Sen. Whitehouse Join European Members of Parliament to Call for Durable Implementation of the EU Methane Regulation

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Scott Peters (CA-50) and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined 11 Members of Congress alongside European Parliamentarians urging the European Commission to maintain consistent and durable enforcement of the European Union Methane Regulation (EUMR), recognizing the recently released implementing guidelines.

The Members pointed to International Energy Agency findings that methane emissions from the global oil and gas sector are equivalent to the total annual gas exports of the United States. The IEA also found that curbing those emissions and flaring could free up as much as 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas. This shows how strong methane rules bolster, rather than threaten, Europe's energy security and affordability.

"We reemphasize that the obligations of all parties to adhere to the EUMR are still in place, and that Member States should continue to actively monitor and ensure compliance, even when penalties do not yet apply," the Members wrote. Members stressed that "it is critical that the EU resist calls to reopen the legislation and instead provide certainty by expeditiously implementing the EUMR."

The Members rejected false claims that the EUMR would ban imports of non-compliant gas and countered claims that the EUMR is driving Europe's energy price pressures, citing Rystad Energy analysis to the contrary. "Gas availability would be larger by the proper application of the EUMR, because it is an important tool against the continuing waste of gas," they wrote.

The Members noted that large oil and gas operators, predominantly in the United States, have already invested tens of millions of dollars in deploying advanced methane mitigation and measurement technologies. These frontrunners rely on clear, consistent rules and predictable penalties for all global suppliers, which will maximize the energy security, reliability, and affordability benefits of addressing methane emissions.

The Members urged the Commission to ensure Member States "do not use the new guidelines to undermine the objectives of the EUMR or impair regulatory certainty," calling for any flexibilities to "remain temporary and targeted" and for compliance solutions to maintain high integrity and clear guardrails.

"Mitigation of methane emissions from oil and gas operations is one of the fastest and most effective ways to address the climate crisis, will enhance global energy security, and will reduce costs across the board," the Members concluded, and pledged to keep working with the Trump Administration, the EU, industry, civil society, and relevant experts to ensure the EUMR's successful implementation.

Last year, Rep. Peters and Senator Whitehouse also led 15 Members of Congress in calling for the European Commission's swift implementation of the EUMR. In February, they led 24 members in urging the Commission to maintain its consistent implementation.

Read the full letter here.

Background:

As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Peters has been a leader in federal methane policy, working to rein in this potent climate pollutant.

He was an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan Methane Emissions Mitigation Research and Development Act to advance methane detection and mitigation technologies, and introduced House version of the Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Act to modernize methane leak surveying and repair standards for natural gas infrastructure.

Rep. Peters also led a bipartisan resolution, signed by President Biden, to reinstate two key Obama-era rules that set stronger regulations on methane pollution emitted by the nation's oil and gas industry.

Regulating methane is essential because it is one of the fastest-acting drivers of climate change, responsible for roughly 30 percent of the warming we're experiencing today. It's also a major contributor to smog that threatens public health in communities across the country.

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