US, EU Lawmakers Push for International Methane Standard for Oil and Gas Sector.
A coalition of European Union and U.S. Democrat lawmakers has called on the International Energy Agency (IEA) to establish international standards for measuring methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. The request, outlined in a letter dated July 1, aims to support countries in implementing stricter measures to reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
The EU plans to impose methane emissions limits on Europe’s oil and gas imports starting in 2030. However, the exact methodology for calculating these limits has yet to be determined, as there is currently no global consensus on how firms should measure and verify methane emissions.
In the letter addressed to IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and seen by Reuters, seven EU lawmakers and ten U.S. Democrats urged the energy watchdog to develop these international standards. “We would kindly suggest issuing a report with your recommendations for these international standards and processes, if possible by June 30, 2025,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers emphasized that creating standardized measures for methane emissions would help countries develop policies to reduce these emissions effectively. They also requested that the IEA assist countries in applying methane standards to fossil fuel imports and assess the potential impact of these standards on oil and gas prices.
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Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is the second-largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide. When it leaks from oil and gas pipelines and infrastructure, it significantly contributes to global warming.
The U.S. introduced rules last year requiring domestic oil companies to limit their methane emissions. The signatories of the letter include representatives from the two largest groups in the European Parliament—the European People’s Party and the Socialists and Democrats—along with Parliament’s negotiators on the EU methane law, Green lawmaker Jutta Paulus, and liberal Pascal Canfin. All ten signatories from the U.S. House of Representatives are Democrats.
The initiative underscores the growing urgency among international lawmakers to address methane emissions and establish a unified approach to combating climate change.
