Biden officials ask EU to align methane rules with US to ease LNG flows

13/11/2024 18:19

        President Joe Biden’s administration has asked the European Union to ensure liquefied natural gas shipments that meet U.S. methane regulations automatically comply with Europe’s standards for imports, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
        
        Linking U.S. and EU methane standards would safeguard United States’ growing LNG trade with Europe while also cementing Biden’s methane rules, even if they are eventually repealed by President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
        
        "We understand that this process will take time. However, we would like to begin discussions as soon as possible, to ensure the continued reliable and stable supply of natural gas from the United States to Europe," the U.S. officials wrote in an Oct. 28 letter, just days before Trump's decisive win in the Nov. 5 election.
        
        The letter was signed by Brad Crabtree, head of the Department of Energy’s fossil energy office, and Joe Goffman, head of the Environmental Protection Agency's air office, and addressed to the European Commission's top energy official Ditte Juul Jørgensen.