Statement on the European Commission’s Methane Strategy

The Clean Air Task Force supports the European Commission's methane strategy but urges the transition from a strategy to mandatory legislative commitments. It specifically advocates for mandatory quarterly leak detection and repair (LDAR), a firm ban on routine venting and flaring by 2021, and the implementation of a methane performance standard for all gas imported into Europe to ensure the EU meets its climate neutrality goals.

• The Clean Air Task Force argues that implementing strong EU methane standards for domestic and imported gas by 2030 could prevent more than five million tons of methane emissions annually, which would have a cooling effect equivalent to replacing approximately 120 coal-fired power plants with carbon-free energy.
• Regarding the Commission's planned 2021 legislation for leak detection and repair (LDAR) and monitoring reporting and verification (MRV), the Clean Air Task Force recommends that LDAR be mandatory and occur at least quarterly, and that MRV transition to actual measurement data within two years.
• The Clean Air Task Force contends that the Commission should move from considering a possible ban on routine venting and flaring by 2025 to a firm commitment to institute such a ban within one year, including a requirement to replace equipment designed to vent gas.
• The document suggests that the EU's methane strategy provides an opportunity to establish a methane performance standard for all gas sold or consumed in Europe, which would address the pollution associated with gas imports and incentivize global mitigation.

APA

Banks, J. (2020). Statement on the European Commission’s Methane Strategy. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2020/10/statement-on-the-european-commissions-methane-strategy/

Chicago

Banks, Jonathan. Statement on the European Commission’s Methane Strategy. Clean Air Task Force, 2020. https://www.catf.us/2020/10/statement-on-the-european-commissions-methane-strategy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Banks |first1=Jonathan |title=Statement on the European Commission’s Methane Strategy |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=14 October 2020 |url=https://www.catf.us/2020/10/statement-on-the-european-commissions-methane-strategy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{banks2020statement, author = {Banks, Jonathan}, title = {{Statement on the European Commission’s Methane Strategy}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.catf.us/2020/10/statement-on-the-european-commissions-methane-strategy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }