This briefing contains an overview of the corporate lobbying detected by InfluenceMap related to oil, fossil gas, and methane for the month of June 2022.
On the 15th June, the Australian energy market was suspended by the regulator due to a surge in energy prices, triggering a national energy debate in Australia. During this period, there was significant engagement by corporate players on the role that the energy transition played in the crisis, and what the future role for fossil gas in the Australian energy mix should be. InfluenceMap’s has assessed the responses from the corporate landscape and presents analysis on the differing views held by cross-sector industry associations, such as the Ai Group and the Clean Energy Council, and oil and gas sector groups and companies such as the Australian Petroleum Producers and Exploration Association (APPEA) and Santos.
InfluenceMap has identified strong lobbying against the inclusion of imported fossil fuels in the EU Methane Regulation, in comments submitted in April 2022 (published May 2022). This included several gas sector players, such as industry associations Eurogas and Gas Infrastructure Europe, and gas infrastructure company, Snam. Simultaneously during June, the European gas industry has strongly pushed for an increase in fossil gas and LNG imports and investments, notably this includes the same entities lobbying to weaken the EU Methane Regulation. Alongside Eurogas and Gas Infrastructure Europe, Germany utility E.ON and industry association GasNaturally called for increasing domestic fossil gas production.
The U.S. gas industry has continued to call for increased fossil gas exports to Europe and Asia, using the war in Ukraine and high gas prices to advocate to executive leadership for specific policy measures that would lock in fossil fuel infrastructure. This strong negative engagement has been led by the American Petroleum Institute, which organized several joint letters to President Biden that called for policies toward domestic gas expansion and increased LNG exports to Europe and Asia. Business Roundtable has similarly supported long-term measures toward boosting oil and gas supply, specifically in its support for the release of onshore and offshore federal lands for fossil fuel production. On the state-level, InfluenceMap has identified negative engagement by utilities on draft energy plans, including from National Grid in New York and Dominion Energy in Utah.