U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ben Ray Luján, and 21 other members of Congress have called on the European Union to maintain strict implementation of the European Union Methane Regulation (EUMR). In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the lawmakers warned that weakening the EUMR or allowing broad exemptions could undermine global energy security, climate progress, and fair competition for U.S. energy producers.
The letter highlighted the importance of strong methane standards in reducing natural gas waste and cutting pollution worldwide. "The EUMR is a critical tool to incentivize the capture of natural gas that would otherwise be wasted and emitted into the atmosphere. Setting clear, consistent rules for all suppliers is essential to reduce trade barriers between countries with cleaner oil and gas, provide a credible foundation to reward producers—like many in the United States—that deploy readily available common-sense methane reduction technologies, and alleviate the EU’s dependence on dirty natural gas from Russia," the lawmakers wrote.
According to international estimates cited in the letter, methane emissions from oil and gas operations result in about 200 billion cubic meters of wasted natural gas annually—an amount similar to what the United States exports each year. The lawmakers noted that many U.S. companies are already leaders in methane management and can comply with EUMR requirements: "U.S. industry is in a strong position to be a reliable supplier to the EU and comply with EUMR requirements, so long as it can rely on a durable and transparent EU regulatory landscape."
The group urged the European Commission to address technical issues through consultation rather than granting wide-ranging exemptions. "We encourage the European Commission to conduct necessary technical consultations with relevant experts across American federal and state governmental entities, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations to support implementation of the EUMR, in lieu of issuing sweeping exemptions that go far beyond the technical and methodological implementation questions at hand."
Lawmakers also expressed their willingness to work with both U.S. and European partners on implementation challenges while emphasizing continued enforcement of EUMR provisions.
The letter criticized recent actions by the Trump Administration aimed at delaying or weakening methane regulations both domestically and internationally. In December 2025, for example, the Department of Energy requested that the EU delay data reporting requirements for U.S. exporters, grandfather existing contracts, and waive penalties for non-compliance—actions which lawmakers argue would allow continued methane pollution.
Domestically, changes proposed by federal agencies have included suspending certain methane emissions reporting requirements until 2034 as part of broader plans to repeal greenhouse gas reporting programs. Delays have also been finalized regarding mitigation rules for methane emissions from oil and gas operations.
The signatories include Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), as well as Representative Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who led efforts in the House.
The full text of their letter is available online.
