Stop the Billion-Dollar Pollution Plan in DC
Can you believe what Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) is trying to do now?
There are hundreds of gas leaks in DC-area gas lines, and many of them are potentially explosive. Yet rather than just focusing on fixing these dangerous leaks, Washington Gas wants to spend billions of dollars replacing and upgrading their gas infrastructure, locking us into fracked fossil gas and so-called “renewable” gas for decades.
That’s why we’re taking a stand. We’re pressuring the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) to REJECT WGL’s multi-billion dollar pollution plan.
Join us in speaking out NOW to stop this risky plan before it goes any further.
Fossil Fuels are Dirty and Dangerous
Homes with gas stoves have nitrogen dioxide concentrations up to…
higher than homes with electric stoves!
Gas stoves release the same pollution as an idling car!
Living in a home with a gas stove increases a child’s risk of having asthma by
WGL's Billion Dollar Pollution Plan
The Washington Gas Light Company (WGL), a subsidiary of the Canadian company AltaGas, Ltd has a monopoly on distributing methane gas – “natural gas” – in Washington DC.
Now, WGL intends to spend $4.5 billion ratepayer dollars on polluting methane gas infrastructure, much of which will be obsolete as the District moves toward electrification.
PROJECTpipes, Washington Gas’ accelerated pipe replacement plan, is partly completed. Washington Gas has applied to the Public Service Commission for approval of $672 million for the next phase, PIPES 3. If the PSC approves this project, the average gas DC customer will be forced to pay at least $424 in additional fees over the next five years for this unnecessary and ultimately harmful project.
The Dangers of Methane
Methane gas is a dangerous product that about half of all Americans burn inside their homes for heat, hot water and cooking. They do it because they are used to it and because decades of advertising has positioned gas as a desirable product. But most people don’t know the personal and global downsides of burning methane gas, or that modern, energy efficient appliances are a much better option for heat, hot water, and cooking. The dangers include:
- Gas burning in stoves and cooktops produces concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter which often triggers asthma, particularly in children, and can worsen COPD in older people
- Even when it doesn’t burn, the gas in your home contains benzene, a known carcinogen, and several other hazardous compounds which constantly leak from your gas appliances.
- Gas also causes apartments, homes and buildings to blow up far too frequently.
The Way Forward
Last year, the DC Council advanced legislation requiring all new buildings be built with all-electric appliances and is moving to electrify existing residential buildings. DC law also the District to be “carbon neutral” by 2045 – producing no greenhouse gas emissions that aren’t offset. Methane gas is simply not compatible with any strategy to achieve the DC law.
NOW is the time to stop this wasteful, breathtakingly expensive 40-year project that will increase climate pollution and keep DC locked into using fossil fuels for decades to come — well past when by law we must reach carbon neutrality! We need a groundswell of public opinion to show the PSC that DC residents support the DC Council’s courageous action to outlaw gas-fueled buildings and appliances, and we expect the PSC to respect the Council’s visionary leadership. The era of methane gas power must come to a close.