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We know how to fight climate change, and it’s going to take a collective effort. Electric utilities are working to lower carbon emissions and transition to a mix of hydropower, wind solar and batteries. In a similar way, the natural gas system is evolving by working to provide communities with renewable natural gas and clean hydrogen over time.

But a vocal minority of activists are advocating for the City Council to ban the use of natural gas in new homes and businesses.

Activists call it “electrification,” but it actually means “forced electrification.” While the City has not conducted its own analysis of this proposal, the City of Portland and the City of Eugene have conducted assessments that show banning natural gas in all new construction leads to very little carbon savings.1

There is a better path to a low-carbon energy future – one where our local natural gas company, NW Natural, can partner with our cities in to promote policies that focus on meaningful greenhouse gas emissions and leverage our current gas system by adding lower carbon gasses through this network. This approach doesn’t risk energy reliability and affordability, and still helps ensure our cities can achieve their climate goals. But we need your voice to join ours to encourage City Council to change direction and be collaborative.

Sign up below and join hundreds of community, business and union leaders, and be a voice for energy choice.

Type your name and, if applicable, business/organization and title as you would like it to appear in submissions to City Council and supporter lists. 

Dear Milwaukie City Council,

I want you to know I stand with others in our community who believe a diversified energy system is fundamentally stronger, more affordable, and more reliable.

We don’t want bans on the use of natural gas in new homes or forced electrification. Instead, we want choice and a diversified set of solutions to lower carbon emissions affordably and sensibly.

1 City Council Agenda July 25, 2022, page 10, Eugene-OR.gov

The City of Portland’s analysis shows a 1% emission reduction benefit by 2050 of banning natural gas in all new construction. Source-City of Portland, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland Decarbonization Pathways Analysis Technical Memo, pg 15, available at: https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2022/portland-decarbonization_pathways_analysis_technical_memo_7-19-2022.pdf

The City of Eugene’s analysis shows a 0.1% emission reduction benefit for residential and 1.7% emission reduction for commercial new construction in 2037. Source- Eugene City Council Agenda Item Summary, Follow-Up to Potential Code Changes to Require that all New Construction be Electric-Only Beginning January 1, 2023, July 25, 2022, Attachment A, page 10, available at: https://ompnetwork.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sites/134/documents/cc_agenda_packet_7-25-22_ws_council_post.pdf?dzuxWhxtI._J3SweKK9_FhkIOEW5w4_e#page