Extinction Rebellion disrupts political forum to demand an end to Washington Gas' methane bomb
17th May, 2022, Washington DC - Rebels from the climate movement Extinction Rebellion disrupted a political forum featuring candidates for council chairperson last night to demand an end to the fossil fuel filth that is poisoning Washington D.C.’s residents.
The United Nations says that we cannot build new fossil fuel infrastructure if we want to stop the climate crisis. But D.C’s politicians are letting Washington Gas spend $4.5 billion on new fossil fuel infrastructure. The company’s methane gas pipes already cause one quarter of the district’s greenhouse gas emissions while poisoning and endangering the city’s residents.
Five rebels in the audience stood up at the 2022 Candidate Forum event and demanded to know what incumbent Phil Mendelson and candidate Erin Palmer planned to do about the $4.5 billion methane bomb that Washington Gas is building in the nation’s capital.
The two candidates refused to respond to the questions before the moderator shut down the event.
Liz Karosick, a visual artist who was one of those who stood up, said afterwards: “We disrupted the forum because D.C.’s politicians are failing to protect the city’s residents. We want a safe, just, liveable planet. We want to stop Washington Gas poisoning our children. Allowing Washington Gas to replace this infrastructure is environmental racism that puts D.C's most marginalized people at risk, and we stand against it. We want to know what the candidates are doing to stop Washington Gas from building a methane bomb in the nation’s capital. We want fossil fuel filth out of D.C. ”
Methane is poisoning residents in their own homes, leading to asthma in children and an early death for many. The company’s methane pipes are also a deadly danger. There are 6,000 pipeline leaks in the district. Some are so dangerous they could explode at any moment. If we’re going to protect residents from climate breakdown, pollution and exploding pipes, then the city’s politicians must stop Washington Gas’s death project.
Fossil fuels kill 50,000 Americans every year. The climate crisis is accelerating mass extinction and triggering crop shortages, floods, wildfires and droughts around the world, causing extreme suffering for millions of people, especially the most marginalized. To stop the crisis we urgently need to get fossil fuel filth out of D.C. now.
WHO: Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to halt mass extinction and minimize the risk of social collapse. Along with branches and chapters in 70 countries and 350+ cities, XR Washington DC is in open rebellion against the world's governments for their criminal inaction on the climate and ecological crisis.