Casten Urges EU President von der Leyen to Maintain EU Methane Regulation Standards
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Sean Casten led four House Democrats in urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to maintain the European Union Methane Regulation.
“As elected United States representatives committed to protecting our climate and maintaining strong transatlantic collaboration on environmental issues, we write to express our strong support for maintaining integrity and ambition of the European Union Methane Regulation (EUMR),” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to President von der Leyen. “...At a time when the EUMR is 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.”
The European Union Methane Regulation is the EU’s first binding law focused on reducing methane emissions from oil, gas, and coal. This includes emissions from both EU-based producers and fossil fuel imports into the EU.
Rep. Casten recently returned from a Congressional delegation in Brussels and Strasbourg, where he met with Members of the European Parliament and heard first-hand about the Trump Administration’s increased efforts to derail the EUMR and demands that the U.S. be exempt from the regulation.
“Preserving the integrity of the EUMR will reinforce Europe’s leadership at a moment when climate ambition is increasingly inseparable from security, competitiveness, and geopolitical resilience,” the lawmakers concluded.
In addition to Rep. Casten, the letter was signed by Reps. Conaway, Dexter, Kamlager-Dove, and Ross, who also joined the Congressional delegation.
Text of the letter can be found below. A copy of the letter can be found here.
Dear President von der Leyen,
As elected United States representatives committed to protecting our climate and maintaining strong transatlantic collaboration on environmental issues, we write to express our strong support for maintaining integrity and ambition of the European Union Methane Regulation (EUMR). As such, we urge the European Commission to ensure timely implementation and, above all, to preserve its ambition. We offer our support to work together with the Trump Administration, the European Union, industry, and relevant experts to ensure robust implementation.
At a time when the EUMR is 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. According to new analysis from Rystad Energy, there is “no credible evidence that the EUMR is contributing to current oil and gas price increases or supply pressures affecting Europe.”1 Rather, the EUMR has established the European Union as a global leader in methane mitigation, and 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.
Methane is the primary constituent of natural gas. Today, and for the immediate future, natural gas will be a vital national security and economic resource for the EU. The EUMR is therefore fundamentally a waste prevention measure in that it prevents the waste of this vital resource. The International Energy Agency estimates “that nearly 100 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas could be made available annually through a global effort to cut methane from oil and gas operations, with a further 100 bcm unlocked through the elimination of nonemergency flaring worldwide,”2 which is roughly twice the volume lost due to disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.3 Because methane is also a global warming pollutant with more than 80 times the potency of carbon dioxide, LNG can be worse for the climate than even the coal it replaces – let alone the zero-emission energy sources which must replace it in the coming years. The EUMR is therefore additionally a critical climate protection measure, beyond its energy security benefits.
Our recent meetings as a congressional delegation in Strasbourg and Brussels reinforced these convictions. During meetings with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, and Members of the European Parliament responsible for energy, environment, and trade policy, we heard a remarkably consistent message: the EUMR has become a defining test of Europe’s ability to maintain ambitious climate and energy policies in the face of mounting geopolitical and commercial pressure. Across nearly every engagement, climate policy was discussed not as a standalone environmental issue, but as a matter of industrial competitiveness, energy security, economic resilience, and democratic cooperation.
We share this perspective because the EUMR represents far more than a single environmental policy. Alongside initiatives such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Clean Industrial Deal, it reflects a broader strategy that recognizes climate policy as industrial policy and national security policy. Together, these frameworks reward innovation, strengthen resilient supply chains, and create durable incentives for cleaner production and greater transparency across global markets.
Decisions regarding EUMR will therefore be viewed beyond methane policy itself – they will signal whether the European Union intends to maintain predictable long-term market rules that encourage investment in emissions measurement, monitoring, and reporting, as well as other low-emission innovations. Just as the CBAM is encouraging governments and industries to improve emissions performance, the EUMR is creating incentives for producers to invest in transparent practices. We believe this approach will continue to encourage technological investment and reinforce Europe’s leadership in a more secure and sustainable economy.
For these reasons, we respectfully encourage the European Commission to stay the course and are committed to working with key partners to support implementation. Preserving the integrity of the EUMR will reinforce Europe’s leadership at a moment when climate ambition is increasingly inseparable from security, competitiveness, and geopolitical resilience. We appreciate the Commission’s continued leadership and stand ready to support continued US-EU cooperation to ensure that implementation is both technically robust and strategically durable. By maintaining the EUMR’s core requirements and ambition, the European Union can continue demonstrating that a principled climate policy strengthens our shared prosperity and transatlantic partnership.
Sincerely,
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