Ricky Junquera - Ricky.Junquera@sierraclub.org
Susan Stevens Miller - smiller@earthjustice.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday, the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) released its 2021 Fugitive Methane Emission Survey of the District of Columbia. The report found that despite millions of dollars charged to DC residents for maintaining DC’s gas infrastructure, the rate of gas leaks in DC is getting worse.
DOEE’s Carbon Free DC roadmap has found that moving away from fossil fuel systems and appliances in buildings, including fracked gas, is necessary to meet the District’s climate commitments. The DOEE survey of leaks from the gas system in the District showcases the scope of the problem of leaking methane, a pollutant 86 times more potent at warming the planet than carbon dioxide.
The survey found that each mile of road surveyed had nearly five leaks. A similar survey in 2014 found roughly four leaks per mile. The 2021 study found 3,346 leaks in 713 miles of road surveyed. The 2014 study found 5,893 leaks in 1500 miles of road surveyed. That represents an average of 4.7 leaks per mile in 2021, substantially more than the average of 3.9 leaks per mile in 2014. This is despite DC’s utility regulators allowing DC’s gas utility to charge DC residents roughly $300 million for pipeline replacement in recent years.
The report found the breakdown of leaks per Ward to be:
Ward 1 - 218
Ward 2 - 288
Ward 3 - 595
Ward 4 - 691
Ward 5 - 523
Ward 6 - 554
Ward 7 - 309
Ward 8 - 160
In response, Mark Rodeffer, the co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Gas DC campaign, released the following statement:
"This report is a clear demonstration that the gas system in DC is detrimental to public health and climate action. The survey found evidence of nearly five gas leaks per mile of road studied in the District, an even greater rate than a similar survey conducted seven years ago. We need immediate action from the Council, the Mayor, and the Public Service Commission to transition away from this harmful fossil fuel system and to clean, efficient, electric heating technologies in our homes and businesses, starting with the District's most overburdened communities.
The Canadian fracked gas company AltaGas, which owns DC's gas utility, wants to charge DC residents up to $5 billion to maintain its leaky fossil fuel infrastructure. Instead of hitting DC ratepayers with the massive cost of our expensive fossil fuel distribution system, we should invest in clean energy that will help DC meet our climate commitments and avoid the indoor air pollution caused by burning gas in homes."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.