XRDC Sends Message to DC Council: Stop Project Pipes

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Extinction Rebellion Sends Message to DC Council: Stop Project Pipes

7 November, 2022, Washington, DC – This morning, Extinction Rebellion DC (XRDC) unfurled a banner at the intersection of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street demanding a stop to fossil fuel madness in the city.

The banner said “Stop Project Pipes,” a demand to the DC Council and Public Service Commission to stop Washington Gas’ deadly, disastrous plan to spend $4.5 billion on new fossil fuel infrastructure in the District. The action is part of XRDC’s escalating campaign to stop this deadly project and get fossil fuel filth out of the city.

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.

Project Pipes poisons our children and elders, accelerates our descent into climate catastrophe, and makes it impossible for DC to fulfill their commitment to carbon neutrality. The DC Council and Public Service Commission has a moral duty to stop Project Pipes and hold Washington Gas accountable for poisoning our community.

More about methane gas:

For more information about Washington Gas' toxic pipeline project ad XRDC's campaign to stop it visit https://www.xrdc.org/gas
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.
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.
A gas stove also releases chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects.
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.
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.
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.
In September 2022, DC pledged to become carbon neutral by 2045. Washington Gas’ plans make this goal impossible to achieve. The DC Department of Energy and Environment 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.

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