Heating and powering our homes and businesses generates a lot of our climate-changing pollution; our built environment is a major contributor to global warming. If our homes and buildings were carbon-free and energy efficient, we would significantly reduce our climate pollution, drastically cut energy costs for owners and renters, and improve air quality where we live and work.
For example, in both Oregon and Washington State, climate-worsening pollution from buildings are growing at a faster rate than any other source, with this increase largely attributable to the use of fossil gas in homes and buildings. Burning fossil gas in homes and buildings is not only a significant contributor to climate change, but also poses significant health risks for our communities, children, and other vulnerable populations.
Indoor air quality issues are particularly concentrated for low-income residents in smaller units with poor ventilation. Communities of color are already disproportionately impacted by outdoor air pollution, and should not continue to be disproportionately harmed by poor indoor air quality as well. Gas appliances also worsen our outdoor air quality. For example, California’s residential appliances releasing more than two times as many NOx emissions as all of their gas power plants combined, and commercial gas appliances releasing just as much NOx pollution as all of California’s cars.
States and many cities in the region and around the country are increasingly looking at ensuring all new buildings are electric as a key cost-effective pathway for achieving their local or state greenhouse emissions goals. Electrifying buildings is critical to addressing climate change, but it is also achievable, affordable, safe, and creates a more resilient energy system.
We are working with lawmakers and community partners to move rapidly toward electrifying our buildings for heating, cooling and cooking. We can also construct homes and buildings that get all their energy from sustainable sources, and even produce as much energy as they use — net zero energy buildings.
We saw success despite a challenging legislative environment that included a minority of Senators leading the longest walkout in Oregon’s history. Because the legislative calendar was down to the wire, many climate and clean energy bills were combined into two omnibus bills...
The Lake Oswego Sustainability Network (LOSN) is hosting its annual Electric Home and Vehicle Fair on Saturday, September 23.
Hawaii wildfires and the aftermath Several wildfires tore across the idyllic landscape with terrifying speed on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
[PRESS RELEASE] A historic settlement in a contested rate case between Oregon’s second-largest gas utility and intervening organizations will require Avista to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, dramatically expand low-income weatherization programs and restrict political spending by the gas company that undermines state climate law.
[PRESS RELEASE] Avista inappropriately billed customers for anti-climate litigation spending, and is proposing to increase bills for continued litigation costs, according to testimony submitted by environmental groups to the Oregon PUC.
The longest GOP walkout in state history has finally come to an end. It has been an egregious situation where a bloc of Republican Senators used non-democratic tactics to deny the collective will of all Oregonians and shutdown the government for weeks.
Avista is seeking to increase gas bills to expand the gas system when they should be shrinking it. Oregon has climate goals requiring gas utilities to slash pollution by 90% by 2050.
In this week's ClimateCast: Debt ceiling raised with climate consequences, Oregon legislation crippled due to GOP walkouts, insurers batten down the hatches against climate impacts.
NW Natural doesn't have a realistic plan to meet Oregon's climate goals. Tell the Commission to send them back to the drawing board.
By denying quorum for the state Senate to do business, Oregon's Senate Republicans have ground all progress in the Oregon legislature — and even the state budget — to a halt. The state’s climate agenda hangs in the balance among many other critical priorities.
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Several wildfires tore across the idyllic landscape with terrifying speed on the Hawaiian island of Ma
Oregon has climate goals requiring gas