US Presses EU to Ease Methane Rules, Warns of Energy Supply Risk
(Bloomberg) -- The US reiterated its criticism of the European Union’s rules to curb methane emissions from its oil and gas imports, saying that the supply crunch caused by Iran’s attacks on Qatari facilities means the bloc can’t afford to be too strict.
“If Europe wants to have affordable energy, it’s going to need to reduce the regulatory requirements and restrictions that it has in place,” Andrew Puzder, US ambassador to the EU, told Bloomberg TV on Monday. “It could be a very severe energy crisis if Europe doesn’t act,” especially given the recent developments in the Middle East, he added.
The war in Iran highlights just how vulnerable Europe is to gas price volatility. Even though it doesn’t buy much gas directly from the Middle East, tighter global supplies mean more competition with other buyers for available volumes. The EU now gets almost two-thirds of its LNG from the US, giving Washington leverage in trade talks.
Qatar has said that repairs to its Ras Laffan complex, the world’s largest LNG facility, could take as long as five years to complete after it sustained damage from Iranian strikes.
Even before the Iran war, the EU’s rules to tackle methane, a potent greenhouse gas, had come under heavy criticism from the US. Companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. have said that the rules are too onerous for the complex supply chains that exist in the US and risk adding to prices of oil and gas delivered to Europe.
Next year, fossil fuel imports will have to be aligned with the EU’s rules on monitoring, reporting and verification. By 2030, penalties will be issued for imports that are above a methane-intensity threshold. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, has said it would apply a “simple and pragmatic” approach so that its security of supply isn’t put at risk, but hasn’t tweaked any regulations so far.
“There are a lot of markets for these fossil fuel products, particularly LNG,” Puzder said. “I’d like to see us dealing with Europe on this issue in a way that’s economically beneficial to Europe and the United States.”
(Updates with quote)
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
