Proposed Certification Criteria for Implementation of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation

The Clean Air Task Force recommends a framework for the EU Methane Regulation based on three pillars: integrity, attribution, and reporting claims. It distinguishes between 'bundled attributes' (physically linked to fuel volumes) and 'unbundled attributes' (transferable independently), arguing that unbundled certificates must be restricted to the same basin of production to incentivize actual emissions reductions. To prevent double-counting, the paper calls for mass balance accounting, digital registries with unique IDs, and strict temporal alignment, requiring certificates to be issued within 12 months of report submission and linked to production from the reporting year or the one immediately preceding it.

• The document proposes a distinction between 'bundled attributes', which are transferred only with a physically deliverable volume of oil or natural gas, and 'unbundled attributes', which can be transferred independently of a specific physical volume but must be subject to geographic and temporal rules.
• To ensure the credibility of unbundled certificates, the author argues that their transfer and attribution should be limited to the specific basin of production to avoid rewarding producers based on favorable asset mixes and to better incentivize performance improvements.
• The framework requires the use of mass balance accounting to prevent double-counting, ensuring that the total volume of certificates issued is lower than the total volume of verified production within a defined geography.
• To prevent double issuance and ensure auditability, the document recommends a digital system with unique certificate IDs and either a centralised EU mirror registry or a federated system of registries.
• For bundled certificates, the document specifies that a credible chain-of-custody must be established through legal and contractual documentation, including purchase agreements, shipping documentation, and custody transfer metering records.
• The proposed criteria establish strict temporal boundaries for regulatory reporting: certificates must be issued within 12 months of the report submission and must link to production from the reporting year or the immediately preceding year.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2026). Proposed Certification Criteria for Implementation of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation. https://www.catf.us/resource/proposed-certification-criteria-implementation-eu-methane-emissions-regulation/

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Proposed Certification Criteria for Implementation of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation. 2026. https://www.catf.us/resource/proposed-certification-criteria-implementation-eu-methane-emissions-regulation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Proposed Certification Criteria for Implementation of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation |date=12 March 2026 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/proposed-certification-criteria-implementation-eu-methane-emissions-regulation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2026proposed, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Proposed Certification Criteria for Implementation of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/proposed-certification-criteria-implementation-eu-methane-emissions-regulation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }