NW Natural, Oregon's biggest natural gas company, duped legislators and residents for years with effective messaging like "Less We Can," emphasizing a commitment to lowering carbon pollution and propping up an unproven green energy source, ProPublica reported.
The news outlet uncovered that the company is falling well short of its goals while protecting its core dirty energy business.
What's happening?
The story began in 2017. NW Natural only sells natural gas, as explained here by the Energy Information Administration, so it needed to appeal to climate-conscious Oregonians who were considering alternatives. So the company pitched the potential of renewable natural gas, which is generated from organic methane waste at places like farms and landfills. Theoretically, it could be far less wasteful.
NW Natural succeeded in convincing Oregonians, but years later, it is barely using renewable natural gas at all, per ProPublica's investigation.
The reasons are many, but it's clear that, per sources cited by ProPublica, NW Natural overstated the quantity of renewable natural gas that Oregon could deliver. It compounded that by understating the demand by excluding industrial and commercial gas utilization. In retrospect, former state representative Phil Barnhart called the company's promises and projections "grossly misleading," ProPublica reported.
Amid it all, the company determinedly fought stakeholders who suggested that switching to all-electric, weatherizing homes, or efficient appliances were better remedies.
Per ProPublica, NW Natural emphasized the potential in-state waste that could be converted to natural gas, but it actually relies on other states for its renewable natural gas projects. And, delivering under 1% of its gas supply as renewable natural gas, NW Natural is coming nowhere close to its 5% target for 2024.
As ProPublica noted, "Less We Can is taking on a new meaning."
Why is NW Natural's greenwashing important?
NW Natural's actions around renewable natural gas — as documented by ProPublica — are an example of greenwashing.
It's much easier to talk a big climate game than to actually deliver. For example, the Sierra Club revealed that 33 of the 77 electric companies that made a "net zero by 2050" commitment made no progress or went backward. ExxonMobil and Chevron are also under fire as major offenders.
Greenwashing isn't limited to the energy sector. Lululemon, SKIMS, and smaller brands sold at Target have similarly been accused.
Holding companies to account is a must if we're to hit critical targets like the limit of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit of warming goal to preserve the planet, explained here by MIT.
What's being done about NW Natural?
Investigative reporting like ProPublica's is critical to efforts to combat greenwashing. As fuel companies vigorously fight anti-dirty energy legislation and try to win public relations battles, the more people learn the truth, the better.
Climate activists, lawmakers, and regular residents can make their voices heard and push NW Natural to live up to its end of the bargain.
Individual consumers in Oregon can also fight the company's deception by switching to other (actually) greener energy sources like solar energy. If enough customers walk, NW Natural may be forced to adapt to the times instead of merely pledging it is.
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