Feedback on the Proposal for a Legislative Act to Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil, Gas and Coal Sectors

The submission argues that the proposed legislation should be based on Article 192 TFEU for environmental protection and calls for a comprehensive framework including mandatory measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), rigorous leak detection and repair (LDAR), and a ban on routine venting and flaring (BRVF). It emphasizes the need for granular data, the inclusion of abandoned wells and mines, and the establishment of methane intensity standards, such as a 0.2% limit for the upstream oil and gas industry by 2025, to drive innovation and align with EU climate targets.

• The authors argue that the European Commission should change the legal base of the proposal from Article 194 TFEU to Article 192 TFEU, asserting that the act's predominant purpose is environmental protection rather than energy policy.
• A robust Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) framework should move beyond voluntary systems like the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) to mandatory EU legislation that requires granular, source-level data available to the public in tabular formats.
• The proposed Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) program should cover the entire supply chain for fossil gas, oil, coal, and biogas/biomethane, utilizing frequent instrument-based surveys (preferably monthly) and strict repair timelines.
• The document advocates for a ban on routine venting and flaring (BRVF) across the supply chain, including equipment designed to vent, and suggests the EU consider Norway's model of combining a venting/flaring ban with a CO2 tax.
• To incentivize innovation and ensure alignment with climate targets, the EU should introduce methane emissions limits, specifically suggesting a minimum methane intensity standard of 0.2% for the upstream oil and gas industry by 2025.
• Coal mine methane (CMM) requires a distinct approach from oil and gas, with a specific call to ban venting from demethanisation stations, which account for 16% of coal mine methane emissions in Poland.
• The legislation should address abandoned and unused sites, proposing that member states report emissions from closed mines (lowering the reporting threshold to 50T/year) and creating government-funded mechanisms to cap and monitor orphaned oil and gas wells.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2021). Feedback on the Proposal for a Legislative Act to Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil, Gas and Coal Sectors. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/21092540/Joint-NGO-Submission-Inception-Impact-CH4.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Feedback on the Proposal for a Legislative Act to Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil, Gas and Coal Sectors. 2021. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/21092540/Joint-NGO-Submission-Inception-Impact-CH4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Feedback on the Proposal for a Legislative Act to Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil, Gas and Coal Sectors |date=26 January 2021 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/21092540/Joint-NGO-Submission-Inception-Impact-CH4.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cleanairtaskforce2021feedback, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Feedback on the Proposal for a Legislative Act to Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil, Gas and Coal Sectors}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/21092540/Joint-NGO-Submission-Inception-Impact-CH4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }