LUXEMBOURG — The fossil fuel industry and the U.S. government are gaining ground in their fight to postpone EU rules designed to cut emissions of one of the most potent greenhouse gases, with at least 12 member countries already backing calls to delay the law.
At a gathering of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg on Friday, a coalition of countries, including Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and Poland will call on the EU to reopen and postpone the methane regulation, which requires companies to monitor and report emissions of methane.
In a letter obtained by POLITICO, the countries echo claims made by fossil fuel firms and the Trump administration that the rules will jeopardize the EU’s energy supplies.
The pressure from national capitals marks an escalation in the campaign and will test the resolve of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, which has defended the methane law by offering temporary workarounds — a strategy that member countries increasingly say doesn’t go far enough.
