BREAKING: Extinction Rebellion Shuts Down Washington Gas Headquarters, Urges Workers to “Jump Ship”

July 8, Washington DC -- Extinction Rebellion’s DC chapter (XRDC) have used a sailboat to shut down the headquarters of Washington Gas as part of an escalating campaign to stop the company building $4.5 billion worth of new fossil fuel infrastructure in the capital.

While the group holds an illegal street party outside the HQ, four members of XR have locked themselves to the sailboat. Others are holding placards inviting senior executives to join the climate movement and share insider information about the company’s planet-damaging activities.

Another group has positioned a fireman’s trampoline below the office windows bearing the message “Jump Ship” to encourage workers to quit the oil and gas industry before it’s too late. They also handed out fliers inviting staff to post XR material on internal notice boards and common spaces, or anonymously share details about any of Washington Gas’ climate damaging plans via the secure whistleblowing platform www.TruthTeller.Life.

Other XR members dyed the fountain blood red to symbolize the explosive danger and lethal harm that the company’s toxic product causes.

The Washington Gas fountain dyed red

Methane gas, which Washington Gas pipes into the district’s homes, causes cancer, birth defects and asthma, especially among the most marginalized. Washington Gas’ leaking pipes also pose an immediate risk to the lives of Washingtonians. Some leaks are so big they could explode at any moment. The burning of methane gas, which accounts for 23% of the district’s greenhouse gas emissions, is also speeding up climate breakdown - methane is now responsible for more emissions than coal.

Earlier this year UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on members of the oil and gas industry to be part of a livable future. “My message to you is simple: Don’t work for climate wreckers. Use your talents to drive us towards a renewable future,” Guterres said.

Liz Karosick, a 36-year-old visual artist and one of the people locked to the boat, said:

“Corrupt executives are getting rich from the suffering inflicted by their deadly products, but the fossil fuel industry is nothing without its workers. Employees at companies like Washington Gas have the power to stop our descent into climate hell. We are here to invite Washington Gas employees to put their incredible skills and expertise to work for the health and safety of their neighbors here in DC, instead of helping the climate wreckers get rich by destroying our future.”

Claire, a 26-year-old environmental consultant and one of the people locked to the boat, said:

“Change is coming. The fossil fuel industry’s social license is rapidly expiring. Just as we wonder today how the tobacco industry was ever seen as ethical, the next generation will look back in disbelief at the way we welcomed fossil fuels into our everyday lives. Workers can change jobs, but humanity can’t change planets. So we’re here to encourage employees at Washington Gas and all planet-damaging companies to jump ship – before it’s too late.”

Nora Swisher, a 32-year-old who works for a composting company and one of the people locked to the boat, said:

“We know that many employees feel conflicted about working for a corporation that pipes deadly methane gas into their communities. We invite these workers to do what they know is right and Jump Ship from Washington Gas. We respect their labor and expertise, and we invite them to apply their talents toward a liveable future instead of helping fossil fuel fat cats get richer by poisoning their own neighbors”.

Reilly Polka, a spokesperson for XRDC, said:

”We say to all Washington Gas workers: You CAN switch to the right side of history and be a hero for your neighbors by severing ties with a toxic company that trades in pollution, corruption, and lies. Help us save our beloved city, not destroy it. We welcome you with love and rage to our fight for a fossil-free future.”

Death project:

Scientists and the United Nations say there can be no new fossil fuel infrastructure if we want to avoid climate breakdown. But Washington Gas plans to spend $4.5 billion on new methane gas pipes in the city. The council must stop this death project.

The council says it wants the city to become carbon neutral by 2050. But Washington Gas’ plans will lock in decades of planet-burning emissions. If Washington Gas gets its way, then Washingtonians will still be paying for fossil fuel infrastructure for decades after it should have been phased out.

Note to editors:

1. For more information about XRDC's campaign and its demands visit https://www.xrdc.org/gas

2. Methane is the gas piped into your home to cook your food and heat your house. DC has some of the oldest underground methane gas pipes in the country, and these pipes are leaking large amounts of methane throughout the city. There are more than 6,000 leaks in the district — more than twice the average US city. Some of these leaks are so dangerous that they could explode at any moment, posing a severe and immediate threat to the city’s residents.

3. Methane gas kills. It severely harms the health of DC’s residents, especially the most vulnerable — children, the elderly, and people experiencing homelessness. When you light your stove, it sends nitrogen dioxide into your home. That can cause cardiovascular problems, respiratory disease, and premature death.

4. A gas stove also releases chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects.

5. A lit gas stove also produces a poisonous cocktail of other chemicals and gasses like formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide. Children in homes with gas stoves are 42% more likely to have asthma than children whose families use electric stoves, a similar rate to children living with cigarette smokers. Stoves continue to leak methane into your home even when they’re turned off.

6. Washington Gas will tell you methane gas is “renewable,” “clean,” “natural,” “responsible,” and “green.” In fact, greenhouse gas emissions from the use of methane gas now exceed coal emissions in the United States — and methane heats the planet up to 80 times faster than carbon dioxide.

7. Methane concentrations in the atmosphere are so high that they’re now responsible for 30-50% of the global rise in temperatures. Leaking gas pipes, like those in DC, are a major source of US methane emissions. The amount of methane the fossil fuel industry releases is far worse than regulators think. And gas stoves in the United States release the same amount of greenhouse gas as 500,000 cars.

8. In December 2017, DC pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. Washington Gas’ plans make this goal impossible to achieve. The Department of Energy calls Washington Gas’ business plan “technically deficient with significant errors.”

About Extinction Rebellion

Time has almost entirely run out to address the climate & ecological crisis, including the sixth mass extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices if rapid action is not taken.

Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.

What Emergency? | This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook | FAQs