US Democrats urge EU to resist pressure on methane import rules
A group of US lawmakers has urged Ursula von der Leyen to reject lobbying from Washington and a coalition of member states to delay strict methane import rules, warning that caving would undermine European climate goals.
Sean Casten, vice-chair of a caucus of roughly 100 US House Democrats, and four other representatives have written to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen urging her not to delay the EU’s incoming methane regulation for imported fossil fuels.
The letter pushes back against intense lobbying from the US oil and gas sector, which has turned to the White House in an effort to postpone the rollout. Days before the letter was sent, a Czech-led bloc of member states—including the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Belgium—also asked the commission to suspend the import provisions for three years. They cited legal uncertainty and risks to energy supply.
Casten warned that caving to these demands would undermine both European energy security and global climate goals. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and is more than 80 times as potent a driver of global warming as carbon dioxide.
The US congressman argued that regulating imports is vital because exporting natural gas is fundamentally leakier than using it domestically. Liquefaction facilities require 10 to 15 percent of the gas simply to operate, and the transport ships are notoriously prone to leaks. If Europe enforces robust rules, the regulatory burden lands squarely on the primary growth market for the US gas sector.
According to Casten, the industry's fierce opposition stems from its shrinking domestic footprint. US oil consumption has flatlined at roughly 20 million barrels a day for two decades, despite a growing population and increased travel, because vehicles have become more efficient. Meanwhile, renewables now generate more power than coal in the United States.
"This industry is operating from a position of fear and defence, the way dying industries always do," Casten said. He noted that renewable energy companies currently enjoy cheaper capital, signalling that private markets are retreating from oil and gas and leaving the sector dependent on political allies in the White House to shield it from competition.
While domestic methane limits in the US draw some bipartisan backing, Casten said regulating exports becomes highly partisan. The Republican base is largely concentrated in rural areas dependent on extraction, leaving the industry heavily invested in keeping environmental rules on exports as weak as possible.
For European policymakers, the immediate question is whether to side with a US Democratic caucus or a coalition of their own member states. Delaying the import rules would remove a major regulatory hurdle for American exporters, but at the cost of Europe's stated climate commitments.
