Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted 341 to 225 to delay methane monitoring and reporting rules for oil, gas and coal importers by three years, significantly longer than the 1-year postponement proposed by the European Commission, in a bid to ensure secure energy supply for EU economies.
The vote establishes Parliament’s negotiating position on a proposal by the Commission to push back requirements for fossil fuel importers under a 2024 law aimed at enabling the EU to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector, in order to help reach the EU’s climate goals and improve air quality.
Rapid reduction in methane emissions is seen as one of the most effective near-term actions that can be taken to help achieve the global climate goal to limit warming to 1.5°C. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas (GHG), with as much as 80x the warming power of CO2, and oil and gas facilities are the among the largest industrial sources of methane emissions.
The 2024 law set rules for measuring, reporting and verifying methane emissions, for finding and repairing leaks, and for limiting venting and flaring. It also represents the world’s first comprehensive legislation to regulate methane emissions related to imports of oil, gas and coal.
Earlier this month, however, the Commission proposed a one-year postponement of the law’s requirements for monitoring, reporting and verification for natural gas, oil and coal importers, which were initially set to begin in 2028, citing a need to help avoid additional pressures on the security of supply of imported fossil fuels in the current geopolitical context.
In a statement announcing the adoption of its position, Parliament said that it agrees with the need to postpone the requirements on importers, but that it is pushing to delay the requirements until 2031, noting that importers have warned that they may not be able to secure enough compliant supplies, with energy markets already strained.
Additionally, Parliament said that is also wants to give EU oil and gas operators three more years to submit verified reports combining source-level and site-level methane measurements, extending the current deadline from 2027 to February 2030 for operated assets, and August 2031 for non-operated assets.
