“Washington Gas Exposed” highlights how D.C.’s gas utility wastes customer money, pollutes our air, and fuels the climate crisis; calls on utility regulators to intervene

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of interfaith, housing and climate organizations launched a new ad campaign today calling attention to the mounting health, economic, and climate costs of Washington Gas’s methane gas pipelines, calling on the D.C. Public Service Commission to protect residents by reining in the for-profit utility’s reckless pipeline spending. 

The campaign includes a mix of digital and public transit ads as well as the new WashingtonGasExposed.com microsite. Ads will run from August 12 to September 2 . View copies of public transit ads here and digital ads here.

“After weeks of record-breaking heat, District residents deserve to have the facts about how Washington Gas’s polluting methane gas pipelines are driving the climate crisis,” said Katie Meyer, Clean Energy Campaign Representative, DC Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Burning methane gas in our homes and buildings is responsible for more than 70% of D.C.’s climate pollution and contaminates the air we breathe, indoors and out. Our communities deserve to breathe cleaner air and access a liveable climate. As long as Washington Gas continues to prop up its failing gas pipelines instead of supporting customers in upgrading to more efficient, electric equipment, that future will remain out of reach.”

On June 12, D.C.’s utility regulators unanimously voted to dismiss Washington Gas’s request to sink an additional $670 million into its irresponsible pipeline replacement program, dubbed PROJECTpipes. This decision came after months of growing pressure from a broad coalition of organizations, advocates, D.C. Councilmembers, and the D.C. Office of People’s Counsel to stop Project Pipes in the face of mounting rate hike requests from Washington Gas. Just last year, Washington Gas asked D.C. utility regulators to allow it to increase customers’ bills by 20%—-the utility’s largest rate increase request ever. While the Public Service Commission’s June vote is a promising step toward increased scrutiny, recent analysis reveals that without further action to rein in proposed spending, District residents will be on the hook for more than $12 billion to replace aging methane gas pipelines, even though the new pipelines will soon be obsolete.  

“There’s no way around it, Washington Gas is a bad neighbor. D.C.’s sole gas utility corporation is on track to sink $12 billion of customer money into propping up its broken methane gas system, driving up customer bills and polluting our air,” said Naomi Cohen Shields, DC Campaign Manager, Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “D.C. residents are already struggling to afford basic needs like housing and groceries. They shouldn’t be on the hook for higher utility bills simply because Washington Gas is spending recklessly on its over-budget and ineffective pipeline replacement program. It’s time for our utility regulators to act.” 

Despite billions in gas customer money spent on pipeline repairs and replacements, Grade 1 ‘explosive’ gas leaks in D.C. have increased 40% from 2014 to 2022. In recent months, gas leaks have caused elementary schools in the District to shutter multiple times, reduced a daycare center to rubble, and cost residents hundreds of dollars in fees, self funded repairs, and more, and weeks of back and forth with the gas company. According to a recent report from PSE Healthy Energy, D.C. firefighters responded to 944 gas leak incidents, costing the District approximately $1.58 million. Beyond explosion risks, burning methane gas indoors creates poor air quality harmful to human health. Gas appliances emit more benzene than secondhand smoke, and gas furnaces emit nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient in ozone pollution or smog. 

“Living with methane gas is akin to living with a smoker in the home, and yet Washington Gas continues to spread misinformation about the health impacts of its products to the D.C. community,” said Andrea Orozco, Faithful Advocacy Lead, Interfaith Power & Light (D.C.MD.NoVa). “More than 70% of children in D.C. with asthma are Black, and children in Ward 8 are ten times more likely to go to the hospital because of an asthma attack than children in wealthier parts of D.C. Every effort by Washington Gas to keep low-income residents hooked on fossil fuels while wealthy residents self-fund the transition to electric only exacerbates these disproportionate health impacts, all to pad the pockets of shareholders. We’re joining together with leaders across the District to call on our utility regulators to finally hold Washington Gas accountable and help residents access healthier, more affordable homes.” 

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