(The Center Square) — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has opposed increasing the capacity of the natural gas pipeline that delivers home heating and cooking fuel to Washingtonians, stating it would harm the environment and hamper the state’s climate goals.
Others say it will have no effect on Washington’s carbon emissions and could actually hinder the transition away from fossil fuels by driving up prices.
Ferguson, joined by attorneys general from Oregon and California, filed a motion Monday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opposing a proposed increase in the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline.
“This project undermines Washington state’s efforts to fight climate change,” Ferguson said. “This pipeline is bad for the environment and bad for consumers.”
The 1,377-mile pipeline, built in 1961, runs from British Columbia through Idaho and Washington into Oregon, where it connects to California’s Pacific Gas and Electric system.
The pipeline delivers 2.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to Washington, Oregon and California. Pipeline owner TC Energy is seeking permission to modify existing gas compressor stations along the pipeline in order to increase capacity.
If approved, the upgraded compressors could deliver an additional 150 million cubic feet of gas per day, an increase of 5.6%.
That increased flow could not affect consumption in Washington state because existing state laws already limit the consumption of natural gas, according to Todd Myers, director of the Center for the Environment at Washington Policy Center.
“From an environmental standpoint, what the Attorney General is doing is meaningless,” Myers told The Center Square. “As the Attorney General noted in the news release, Washington already has a limit on the total amount of natural gas that can be sold in the state, and it declines over time.”
However, clamping down on supply could have the unintended consequence of turning public opinion against the transition away from fossil fuels, according to Myers.
“If you crack down on supply rapidly, you get huge volatility,” Myers stated, noting the current high fuel prices in Europe. “That causes economic pain but doesn’t add to environmental reductions. The more painful the transition is the more people may turn against the policy.”
In response to the Ferguson motion, TC Energy released a statement saying natural gas is a vital and safe component of the region’s energy strategy.
“The Gas Transmission Northwest XPress Project . . . is designed to upgrade our system to meet increased demands from our customers in the region, providing the reliable energy to communities throughout the Western U.S. in a safe, responsible, and reliable manner,” TC Energy stated, adding that the project had broad support among various stakeholders in the region.
In addition to environmental concerns, Ferguson’s motion claims that the company is hiding the true costs of proposed modifications and asking utility customers to subsidize them.
bet he will not do without!
that being said the whole west coast can pound sand in candle light.
man can not change the weather.
Why just limit the amount of natural gas consumed by Liberal Democrat run states, why not just cut them all off and send the gas to petroleum product friendly Conservative run states whose new gas glut would drive down the prices, or sell the excess gas to Europe to bring wealth back to the USA. There is a saying that beggars cannot be choosers, so just put these Democrat run states into the position of being energy beggars, so their proper choices and be made for THE PEOPLE. When the Californians have to cut down all the redwoods to heat their fireplaces, maybe they will wake up and elect the leadership that has the brain capacity to economically warm them up. This Democrat energy death by a thousand cuts will continue for decades unless swift painful reality measures are taken to waken the woke back to reasonable outcomes.
Exactly. ALL NATURAL gas suppliers, should simply CUT OFF EVERY DEMOCRAT city and state….
The problem is it is not just cali doing these things try also looking at nyc as well as new jersey and all the other SATAN WORSHIPPING DEMONCRAT states like illinois and all the others. Those people that live in cali have been screaming that we need more gas for heating and cooking but the DEMONcrat cities like los angeles and san fransicko and san diego as well as skankramento all want nothing to do with gas or any petroleum products. Well without those types of products they will have no plastic for the bags they use for the shopping they will have no rubber for the tires on their cars without oil almost all modern systems of use will fail, thus all modern conveniences will stop withing a month or less. Fine make the politicians suffer for the stupidity they show, but do not make the regular people suffer for the idiocy of others
BUT WHEN ITS THE ORDINARY FOLK, who keep voting IN THESE ninconpoops, who make thees laws,WHY SHOULDN’T they suffer, right Alongside the politicians??
To quote Hermione Granger: “What an Idiot!”
How does the position of state attorney general come to deprive people of natural gas?
Exactly my question?? HE IS There to punish criminals. NOT DICTATE What his citizenry can do.
The guy thinks he has more authority than the president. These DEMONcrats really need to be punished as hard as possible. I say throw all the DEMONcrats in a underwater prison and just leave them there to fend for themselves, they will have to learn how farm the ocean floor, desalinat the ocean water so they can have water go drink and learn how to harvest fish so they can eat, it will be a major learning experience for them and in the end it will make them better people.
Stick them all in the middle of the antartic circle, and just LEAVE them there.