New Ad Campaign Mirrors Issues Raised in Op-Ed that Explains Why Some Call Washington Gas “the Worst Fossil Fuel Company in America”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of interfaith, housing and climate groups launched a new ad campaign yesterday called “Washington Gas Exposed!” to spotlight the escalating health, economic, and climate costs of the for-profit utility’s methane gas pipelines. These concerns are detailed in a recent op-ed published by 730DC called “Washington Gas: Worst Fossil Fuel Company in America? Local Critics Say Yes!” 

The op-ed – written by Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and CCAN Action Fund – says: 

 “The 175-year-old utility Washington Gas, serving the DC metro area, has seemingly gone rogue. Regulators and critics say the company has in recent years violated wind and solar agreements, falsely advertised fossil fuels as “clean,” neglected the routine repair of leaking pipes, and provided generally poor customer service. All this while boosting the profits of its controversial Canadian parent company AltaGas, itself recently hauled into court by a group of Indigenous grandmothers for various treaty violations.”

Among other transgressions, the op-ed calls out Washington Gas’s controversial “PROJECTpipes” program for resulting in a significant rise in the cost-per-mile of replaced pipes while fewer miles of pipelines are actually being replaced. Tidwell also exposes Washington Gas for mounting an expensive lobbying campaign that appears designed to mislead public opinion and undercut tighter regulatory oversight.  

READ THE FULL OP-ED HERE.

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state and national level to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement towards clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.