38 Amendments of Marisa MATIAS related to 2021/2006(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomAcknowledges the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions; supports a clear pathway and framework to address methane emissions in a more comprehensive fashion across Europe, by fostering synergies between sectors to strengthen the business case for capturing methane emissions presented by the Commission; stresses the need to publicly plan binding methane emissions reduction targets, through a combination of mandatory measures targeted at agriculture, fossil fuel production and the waste industry;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Whereas methane emissions are the second largest cause of global warming and therefore reducing methane emissions will be critical for avoiding the worst effects of climate change; whereas reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations is amongst the lowest of low-hanging fruit for mitigating climate change;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Whereas 70 % of the primary energy used in the EU in 2017 came from fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal);
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Whereas achieving climate neutrality requires moving away from a system based largely on fossil fuels, and towards a highly energy-efficient climate- neutral and renewable- based system;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Stresses that recent studies highlight that human-caused emissions of methane from the extraction and use of fossil fuels may have been severely underestimated, with methane emissions from fossil fuels being 25-40% higher than earlier estimates;1a _________________ 1aHmiel, B., Petrenko, V.V., Dyonisius, M.N. et al. Preindustrial 14CH4 indicates greater anthropogenic fossil CH4 emissions. Nature 578, 409–412 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-1991- 8
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1 f. Recalls that according to the IEA methane leaked from global operational coal mines amounted to 40 million tonnes, which is broadly similar in CO2- equivalent to the current level of total annual emissions from international aviation and shipping combined;1a _________________ 1ahttps://www.iea.org/reports/world- energy-outlook-2019
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Paragraph 1 g (new)
1 g. Recalls that according to the IEA global oil and gas operations emitted just over 70 million tonnes of methane to the atmosphere in2020, a level comparable to the total CO2 emissions from the EU energy sector; underlines that whilst this is about 10% lower than estimated for 2019, much of this decline is due to the drop in oil (responsible for 40% of these emissions)and natural gas (responsible for 60% of these emissions) production due to theCovid-19 pandemic; stresses therefore the immediate benefit for climate action of immediately start phasing out fossil fuels;1a _________________ 1ahttps://www.iea.org/reports/methane- tracker- 2021?utm_content=bufferf3754&utm_me dium=social&utm_source=twitter- ieabirol&utm_campaign=buffer
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1 i. Underlines that a recent report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)estimates that rapid action on methane emissions could take 0.3°C off global temperature by 2045; stresses that such action would be critical in meeting the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C by the end of the century;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/resources /global-methane-assessment-full-report
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 j (new)
Paragraph 1 j (new)
1 j. Highlights that according to the UNEP report methane emissions could be reduced by 45% by the end of the century; stresses that the UNEP report considers such rapid and significant reduction in methane emissions to be possible using existing technologies and at a very low cost;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/resources /global-methane-assessment-full-report
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 k (new)
Paragraph 1 k (new)
1 k. Underlines that according to the UNEP report these readily available solutions could reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030, mainly by fixing methane leaks and vents in the fossil fuel sector and reducing venting;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/resources /global-methane-assessment-full-report
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 l (new)
Paragraph 1 l (new)
1 l. Recalls that according to the UNEP report a 45% reduction of methane emissions would each year prevent 255 000 premature deaths, 775 000 asthma- related hospital visits, 73 billion hours of lost labour from extreme heat and 26 million tonnes of crop losses globally;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/resources /global-methane-assessment-full-report
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 m (new)
Paragraph 1 m (new)
1 m. Calls on the Commission to put forward, by December 2021 at the latest, a Union strategic plan for methane in line with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, which shall include a2030 reduction target and accompanying binding measures to rapidly reduce methane emissions from all sources, including biogenic sources, so as to stay in line with the Union's 2030 climate target and the achievement of the climate- neutrality objectives by 2050 at the latest;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 n (new)
Paragraph 1 n (new)
1 n. Calls on the Commission to set up a specific Union methane budget in a report to the Parliament and Council which sets the total amount of methane that could be emitted up to 2050 at the latest without jeopardising the Union's commitments under the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Is convinced that phasing out natural gas is key to the EU’s energy transition, as only renewable energy can sustainably contribute to achieving climate neutrality in the long term and avoid lock-in effects and stranded assets;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Stresses the importance of phasing out natural gas as soon as possible and by 2035 at the latest; urges the Commission and the Member States to immediately start planning that transition carefully, so that the production, exploitation and distribution of natural gas starts decreasing swiftly, predictably and irreversibly and so that the prolongation of the lifetime of fossil-based production facilities is avoided;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Member States by 2023, through the review of National Energy and Climate Plans, adopt natural gas phase-out plans with intermediate targets setting out an immediate and evenly paced pathway toward irreversibly reducing natural gas consumption;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2 d. Highlights that the rapid and predictable phasing out of natural gas requires democratic public planning, associating producers, workers and their trade unions, scientists and non- governmental organisations (NGOs); stresses the importance of preserving and tapping into the potential of workers with technical skills employed in existing industries, and recalls the right of workers to be trained and upskilled during working hours with their wages guaranteed; underlines the need to ensure the reemployment, either in existing industries or through the creation of new environmentally-sound activities, of the gas industry workers;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2 e. Recalls that the existing EU natural gas infrastructure is fully capable of meeting various future gas demand scenarios, even in the event of extreme supply disruptions; considers therefore that additional investment in natural gas transport infrastructure is not necessary to remain in line with a+1.5°C scenario or to ensure security of energy supply within the EU; stresses that any new gas infrastructure risks becoming stranded assets supported by EU public funds; recalls that since 2013, the EU has already spent almost €440million on fossil gas infrastructure projects that have become stranded assets or are at risk of becoming so;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2 f. Demands that all existing and new natural gas and fossil fuel infrastructure, including pipelines, grids, LNG terminals, fossil-based hydrogen production and natural-gas power plants, be ineligible for State aid, EU funding and loans;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Urges the Commission to prohibit, by 2022 at the latest, gas suppliers from placing on the internal market fossil gas, including energy derived therefrom, where venting and flaring occurs during production and procession unless evidence is provided that the limited use of flaring is for a legitimate purpose and the result of a lack of viable technical alternative;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Demands that the Commission prohibit, by 2022 at the latest, gas suppliers from placing fossil gas on the internal market without undertaking systemic and mandatory methane monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), including mandatory and periodic leakage detection and repair (LDAR) supported by verified evidence of reductions; stresses that reporting should be based on a comprehensive equipment survey and application of the most up-to- date emission factors before switching to actual measurement data by 2024;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Calls on the Commission to establish minimum LDAR requirements, drawing upon industry-wide source-by- source best practice;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Considers that data on methane emissions and LDAR should be publicly available as open source datafiles, in a mandated format to ensure straightforward comparison;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3 e. Urges the Commission to immediately prohibit fracking within EU borders and ban the importation of gas produced through fracking, including NGL and NGL products produced from fracked gas;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3 f. Calls on the Commission to introduce, by 2025 at the latest, a mandatory methane performance standards that caps emissions at 0.2% along the entire supply chain for both domestic and imported gas sold and consumed in the EU;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3 g. Urges the Commission to ensure that abandoned wells, where ownership can be documented, are capped or filled to stop methane leakage and ensure proper application of the polluter pays principle; considers that for wells where ownership is not known a fund programme, paid by direct taxes on revenue from fossil-fuel companies, should ensure these abandoned wells are properly capped and leaks stopped;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that research, development and innovation and the implementation of fit-for-purpose technologies and practices to improve MRV and mitigate methane emissions are at the backbone ofnecessary to ensure effective action; supports the mobilisation of funding from Horizon Europe, including for establishing an international methane emissions observatory;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a thorough assessment of the cost efficiency of the actions proposed in the energy sector, which should consider local conditions and the specific aspects of the various parts of the value chain and provide flexibility to the industry for their implementation;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to consider a target on renewable and decarbonised gases for 2030, as this would facilitate the development of biomethane and ensure the deployment of the most cost-efficient solutions across the Member States.gas for 2030;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses that existing CCS and CCUS technologies have proven to be neither scalable nor100% efficient; underlines that relying on fossil gas will certainly lock the Union in a situation of dependency from external imports, unsustainable resource exploitation and continue GHG emissions due to the methane emissions along the entire value chain, such as leaks or gas flaring; stresses that the potential abatement of fossil CO2 emissions through CCS and CCUS deployment in the power sector remains therefore limited and should not be pursued;
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Considers that whilst environmentally safe carbon capture storage and utilisation (CCS/U)could play a role in making heavy industry climate- neutral where no direct emission reduction options are available, the uncertainties related to the costs and technical feasibility of higher CO2 capture rates (> 95%) and the application of capture throughout the whole fuel supply chain make it necessary to plan for energy systems without CCS and CCUS technologies;
Amendment 143 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Highlights that contracts for difference for renewable energy (‘CfD’) and carbon contracts for difference (ʻCCfDʼ) should strictly be reserved to renewable gas and not open to decarbonised gas;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Recalls that the Union is the world's biggest importer of natural gas, with threequarters of the gas consumed in the Union being imported; stress that therefore the largest share of methane emissions footprint from the Union’s gas consumption is coming from upstream emissions in third countries supplying gas to the Union;
Amendment 145 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7 e. Stresses that a proper carbon border adjustment could incentivise third countries to lower their methane emissions by ensuring proper taxation of natural gas imports and of electricity generated from coal and gas;
Amendment 146 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7 f. Welcomes President Joe Biden's decision to halt oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; strongly condemns Total's Arctic LNG 2 project, which aims to create a huge liquefaction plant to export Russian natural gas towards Europe; urges the Member States, and in particular France, not to support this project financially; demands a ban on the development of any new oil and gas project in the Arctic;