From fracking well to furnace, gas has consequences
The gas we burn in buildings is mainly methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period.
Climate change
Buildings are Washington state’s fastest-growing source of carbon pollution, up more than 50% since 1990 due to gas and oil appliances like furnaces, water heaters and stoves.
From extraction at oil and gas wells, to transport through leaky pipelines, to end use power plants and buildings in Washington and Oregon, gas is a climate threat at every step. Every major climate study, including U.S. and United Nations research, shows that we need to move away from gas in order to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Using efficient electric appliances is key to addressing Washington’s gas problem.
Most of the gas used in the Pacific Northwest is produced through hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”), in which chemicals and water are injected into the ground to force out oil and gas. While Washington has instituted a moratorium on fracking sites within our state, the majority of the gas piped into Washington and Oregon is fracked gas from other states or Canada.
The climate impact of gas is on par with coal.
The gas we use in buildings is primarily made of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. Methane leaks from every part of the gas system, making the total climate impact of our gas on par with that of coal. Scientists have been sounding the alarm about gas in recent years as atmospheric levels of methane spike to dangerous levels.
Washington is now legally required to reduce our climate pollution by 95% below 1990 levels by 2050. Electrifying our buildings and reducing dependency on burning fracked gas is essential and would be the lowest-cost pathway to meeting these goals. Washington’s gas distribution system will transition over time, and policies are needed to protect fossil fuel workers and ensure all communities have the support they need to be part of this future.
Photo: Shale-drilling and hydraulic fracturing creates a heavy, a dense web of roads, pipelines and well pads, turning continuous forests and grasslands into fragmented islands. By Simon Fraser University, CC-BY-2.0.
Risk to public health and safety
“Gas appliances worsen air quality both indoors and outdoors by emitting pollutants. Mutually reinforcing effects of air pollution and climate change amplify hazards, resulting in higher temperatures, more wildfires and smoke, and degradation of the health of our community.”
— Letter signed by 25 Washington physicians calling for clean, electric buildings
Did you know that burning gas inside our homes, school and businesses creates significant amounts of indoor air pollution and harms our lungs? Carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, lead and formaldehyde are among the harmful compounds released by gas appliances. It’s not all methane. A list of acute and chronic health impacts associated with gas exposure are found in the table below.
Air pollution is a matter of life and death, and the appliances in our buildings are a leading source. With more than 600 early deaths in Washington in 2018, mortality from building pollution in both states is higher than deaths from car tail pipes or industrial factories (source).
Mortality from pollution in buildings in Washington is higher than deaths from car tailpipes or factories
The burden of air pollution isn’t equally shared.
Communities of color are already disproportionately impacted by outdoor air pollution, and we shouldn’t add to this with poor indoor air quality. Indoor air quality issues are particularly significant for low-income residents in smaller units with poor ventilation and older gas appliances.
Gas extraction often takes place on or near tribal or First Nations lands, creating health and safety risks for those indigenous communities, polluting groundwater and contributing to earthquakes. Babies born near natural gas flaring (common in fracking) are 50% more likely to be born prematurely.
The need for clean air has never been as important as it is now, with the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the respiratory health of Washington communities. Scientists have identified a direct connection between COVID-19 deaths and exposure to poor air quality. A recent study by Harvard University found that “A small increase in long-term exposure to particulate matter leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate, [underscoring] the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.”
Gas is a highly combustible fossil fuel that poses a constant threat in our communities.
A gas pipeline incident kills someone, sends someone to the hospital, or causes a fire or explosion once every four days on average nationwide. Gas appliances increase the risk of household fires through methane leaks from pipes, meters, and appliances. Gas pipelines are particularly risky in an earthquake-prone area like Western Washington, causing explosions and fires.
Washington state is no stranger to the risks of gas: In 2016, an improperly decommissioned Puget Sound Energy gas line caused a massive explosion in the Greenwood neighborhood, leveling most of a city block and closing multiple neighborhood businesses for a year or more.
The gas industry is spreading misinformation to Washingtonians about the impacts of gas.
Partnership For Energy Progress — a group funded by the gas industry, Washington’s private utilities and Canadian fossil fuel pipeline companies — is flooding Pacific Northwest airwaves with misleading advertising. The gas industry is working across the country to pass state laws that prevent cities from embracing all-electric buildings, which limit their ability to keep buildings and communities hooked on gas.
“Renewable” natural gas isn’t a solution.
The gas industry is trying to convince elected officials that they can clean up their act by filling their pipelines with “renewable natural gas” — methane gas captured from landfills, manure at large dairy facilities, and sewage treatment plants.
Multiple scientific studies have shown that relying on “renewable gas” to reduce building emissions would be expensive and not technically feasible. A report by the Washington State Department of Commerce found that, under a best-case scenario, “renewable gas” could only replace 3 to 5% of the state’s existing gas use — often at a higher cost to the consumer than simply using clean electricity.
Rather than pipe renewable gas into buildings, it should be reserved for the sectors of our economy that will be more difficult to cut emissions in the years ahead, including energy-intensive industrial uses and air travel.