ExxonKnews: As war on Iran continues, a European climate law could be at risk

This piece is co-published by ExxonKnews and DeSmog, a leading outlet covering climate disinformation and accountability.

Major oil and gas lobby groups are leveraging energy shortages during the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran to call on the European Union to pause its regulations on methane, a powerful climate pollutant. If successful, the delay could help pave the way for a marked expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure across the United States.

Two industry groups, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) and Fuels Europe, urged policymakers earlier this month to stop the next phases of the law’s implementation until “targeted adjustments” could be made. The groups cited a Wood Mackenzie study commissioned by IOGP that found up to 43% of U.S. gas imports could fail to meet the law’s standards.

“The EU cannot afford a self-made regulatory supply shock, even more so in the current geopolitical context,” said François-Régis Mouton de Lostalot, managing director of IOGP Europe, whose member companies include Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and BP, in a statement.