The natural gas industry faces an existential threat, as municipalities and states around the US adopt climate policies curtailing gas usage in buildings and homes. Environmental and climate advocates are promoting new technologies that can replace gas appliances, such as furnaces, with electric alternatives that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and indoor air pollutants, such as heat pumps. In July of 2019, Berkeley’s city council passed the first ordinance in the US to restrict gas installations in new construction, paving the way for dozens of other cities in California and other states to pass their own ordinances.
The trade associations representing the gas utilities are fighting back. The American Gas Association (AGA), primarily representing investor-owned gas utilities, and the American Public Gas Association (APGA), representing publically-owned gas utilities, are dedicating staff time and financial resources to blocking electrification.
Over the last year, Climate Investigations Center has obtained thousands of internal records from the natural gas industry which document its anti-electrification efforts. The records reveal underhanded tactics including astroturfing, cynical marketing campaigns targeted at millennials, coordination with climate denier organizations and much more.
The collection is split up into the following sections:
Climate Investigations Center obtained the records via hundreds of public records requests to federal, state, and municipal agencies. For questions about these records, please contact [email protected]. These are just a fraction of the documents – more records will be added over time. Please inquire if you are researching the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to block electrification.