Please Join Us To Hear A Story of Resistance…
Indigenous Grandmothers vs. AltaGas
(Parent Company of Washington Gas):
A Cautionary Tale for Washington, DC!
Thursday June 20, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Foundry United Methodist Church- 1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Stop Project Pipes!
Can you believe what Washington Gas (WGL) is trying to do now?
There are thousands of gas leaks across DC’s gas system and many of them are potentially explosive. Yet rather than just focusing on fixing these dangerous leaks – as they are already required to do by law – Washington Gas wants to charge ratepayers billions of dollars for replacing and upgrading the District’s entire gas pipeline infrastructure, locking us into fracked fossil gasfor decades. They call this ripoff plan Project Pipes.
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.
Washington Gas is not letting up on their scheme to charge DC residents billions of dollars for unnecessary pipe replacements that are keeping the District hooked on dirty and unsafe fossil fuels. So we’re not giving up either. We’ve got to build up massive opposition to Project Pipes before next February (when the project will be up for approval once again), and we plan to use every tool in the toolbox.
Introducing: the Stop Project Pipes yard sign. With a no-nonsense message and a QR code for learning more, this FREE yard sign will help expand awareness and opposition to Project Pipes, Washington Gas’s $12 billion pollution plan.
WGL's Billion Dollar Pollution Plan: Project Pipes
Washington Gas, 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 over $12 billion (in full costs) in ratepayer dollars on polluting methane gas infrastructure, much of which will be obsolete as the District moves toward electrification.
Project Pipes, Washington Gas’ accelerated pipe replacement plan, is already underway. 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 over $400 in additional fees over the next five years for this unnecessary and ultimately harmful project.
Take Action
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
In 2022, the DC Council advanced legislation requiring new buildings be built with all-electric appliances and is moving to electrify existing residential buildings. DC law also requires 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.
In the News
- Hundreds of gas leaks found in D.C. — some ‘potentially explosive,’ report says
- Washington Gas Wants to Raise D.C. Residents’ Rates By 20 Percent
- D.C. Hits Pause on New Funding for Washington Gas Pipe Replacement Project
- A call for an investigation into Washington Gas over aging pipe replacement project
- D.C. People’s Counsel Calls For Investigation Into Washington Gas Leaks
- Washington Gas is Betting Against the Climate, and Your Health, with Billions of Your Money
Project Pipes Campaign Timeline
- In April 2024, the DC Attorney General urged the PSC to pause Project Pipes
- In February 2024, the PSC said Project Pipes is not “just and reasonable or otherwise in the public interest”
- In February 2024, 11 DC Councilmembers sent a letter to the PSC opposing Project Pipes Phase 3
- In February 2024, though the PSC ultimately approved a 1-year extension to Phase 2 of Project Pipes, PSC Commissioner Richard Beverly wrote a strong dissent and cited local advocacy and opposition
- In February 2024, Climate and justice advocates joined by Councilmember Allen in call to end wasteful fossil fuel investments
- In December 2023, the PSC temporarily put Project Pipes on “pause” after 26 organizations called on the PSC to reject Project Pipes completely
