politics
US authorities will stop supplying gas to the EU if its authorities do not relax methane emission regulations
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright warned the European Union that American gas supplies would go to other markets if the bloc does not ease regulations on methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. He stated this in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of a conference in New York. Wright said:
TL;DR
- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright threatened to divert American gas supplies from the EU.
- The condition for continued supply is the EU easing regulations on methane emissions.
- Wright stated that Europe would face 'serious pain' without regulatory reform.
- The EU's Energy Commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, has vowed to resist pressure regarding methane emission rules.
- US warnings previously indicated that stringent EU regulations could jeopardize trade relations.
- The EU's reliance on US gas increased after reducing imports from Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
- The US methane regulations are complex for exporters, with the threat of fines hindering new contracts.
- Wright's stance appears to diverge from the Biden administration's 'Global Methane Pledge'.