June 7, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, Sightline Institute, emily@sightline.org
FULL ARTICLE: It’s Time for Cascadia to Start Pruning the Gas System and Electrifying Whole Neighborhoods
BC, ID, MT, OR, WA – Cascadians are swapping gas furnaces for heat pumps, gas stoves for induction cooktops, and gas dryers for electric ones. The “electrify everything” movement is accelerating, spurred by new federal, state, and local incentives.
But the gas system is not shrinking in tandem. In fact, gas utilities continue spending billions to expand polluting infrastructure by laying down thousands of miles of new pipes. Without decommissioning gas infrastructure, an ever-shrinking number of gas customers will face ever-ratcheting costs to maintain a bloated gas system.
New analysis from regional think tank Sightline Institute recommends policymakers take action today to electrify whole neighborhoods and prune gas infrastructure, following early action in California, Colorado, and New York.
“Scattershot electrification of homes and buildings is no longer enough,” said Emily Moore, author of the article and director of Sightline Institute’s climate and energy program. “We need start focusing electrification at the neighborhood level to be able to shrink the gas system and protect customers from exorbitant energy bills.”
Read Moore’s full analysis: It’s Time for Cascadia to Start Pruning the Gas System and Electrifying Whole Neighborhoods
Related:
- It’s time to stop subsidizing new gas pipes
- Is there a future for gas utilities? It could be heating and cooling your home (from the ground)
- Heat pumps a win-win for Cascadia’s now hotter, drier summers
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Emily Moore, Director of Sightline Institute’s Climate and Energy program, leads Sightline’s work transitioning Cascadia away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner and greener energy sources. Find her latest research here, and follow her on Twitter at @_enmoore_.
Sightline Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank providing leading original analysis of energy, housing, democracy, and forests policy in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, British Columbia, and beyond.
