Time’s up for “natural” gas. Let’s make Multnomah County fossil free!

Sign the Petition here!

It’s clear we need to move on from fossil fuels, and that includes fracked gas. We already knew that methane from fracked gas is fueling the climate crisis. Now we know that burning fracked gas in our homes creates dangerous conditions and puts our health at risk. Methane in our stoves, heaters, and fireplaces creates air pollution levels that would be illegal outdoors, because it can cause conditions like asthma and heart failure. We need our political leaders to stand up for the climate and our health by making a just transition away from fracked gas.

Dozens of cities, including New York, Seattle, Denver, and San Francisco, have already said no to fracked gas in new buildings. In Oregon, Eugene and Lane County are exploring new laws to regulate gas. Portland and Multnomah County should do the same. 

We deserve healthy lungs, clean air, and a future powered by renewable energy.

Join us in taking action!

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Fossil fuel companies have been lying to us and deliberately spreading misinformation for a long time. But as climate change has become a more widely-known issue, fossil fuel companies have been switching up their tactics, investing big bucks in greenwashing campaigns. NW Natural’s “Less We Can” campaign is a prime example of greenwashing, as they are openly spreading misinformation to try and convince us that “natural” gas is a somehow ‘climate friendly.’

The three truths of fracked (aka “natural”) gas:

1.  You heard that right. The majority of “natural” gas in the Northwest comes from hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Fracking is incredibly harmful to the climate and communities close to extraction, poisoning their drinking water and releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. These communities are primarily low income and already being hit hard by climate change. Not only is NW Natural selling us misinformation about the climate impacts of burning fracked gas, but they want to ignore the truly horrific impacts of fracked gas extraction.

2.  When leaked into the atmosphere, fracked gas released large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. While burning fracked gas produces a lower amount of greenhouse gases than, say, burning coal, the methane gas released has up to 86 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. There’s really no way around it — “natural” gas is still a dirty energy source.

3.  When you turn on your fracked gas stove, you may be unwittingly releasing harming pollutants into your home. These pollutants can exacerbate respiratory conditions in children, the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, low-income, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Not everyone has the resources to switch out from using fracked gas appliances, and so have to bear the burden of these health impacts.

… and that’s not even mentioning that every year gas explosions (a gas explosion in Northwest Portland injured 8 people and caused $17 million in property damages in 2016). In U.S. cities, gas leaks are more common in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

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Read and share the new report on the dangers of methane gas, updated November 2022:

Methane Gas: Health, Safety, Economic, and Climate Impacts

Co-authored by 350PDX, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sierra Club, and more. This report is an all-encompassing look at the dangers of methane and why our region must move towards fully renewable energy. bit.ly/methanereport-2022