A coalition of 25 organizations submitted a letter to Multnomah County, asking them to take action to reduce the health and safety impacts associated with methane gas appliances.
The letter, sent March 13, cited a growing body of evidence showing appliances using methane gas are associated with an increased risk of asthma, particularly in children, due to the release of nitrogen oxide, or NOx, emissions and other fine particulate matter.
The advocates’ letter comes just a week after Sierra Club, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Verde, RMI and Beyond Toxic released a report on the hidden pollution problem associated with the use of fossil fuels in homes and buildings in Oregon — specifically in Multnomah County.
That report showed fossil fuel equipment in Oregon homes and businesses release more than 4,000 tons of NOx emissions each year, and contribute to environmental pollution equal to 1.1 million passenger cars.
Damon Motz-Storey, Sierra Club Oregon chapter director, said while the threat to human health from indoor use is significant, ventilation from gas appliances is also an enormous contributor to outdoor air pollution, negatively impacting the health of anyone breathing outdoor air.
“What's in somebody's kitchen is their own business, so to speak,” Motz-Storey said. “But what gets vented to the outdoors becomes everybody's business.”
The coalition urged Multnomah County, in its role as the local health authority, to increase public awareness of the dangers of burning gas in homes and buildings. Some of the greatest emissions and subsequent risks come from large commercial buildings, many of which rent space to other tenants and have little incentive to voluntarily upgrade to safer energy systems.
The letter also asked the county to leverage federal funding to enable low-income residents and people of color to transition to electric appliances, pursue binding emissions standards for new appliance sales, and work with state agencies to develop statewide regulations to aid in the transition.
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said during her tenure the county has voted to oppose the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, prohibited new fossil fuel infrastructure in county facilities and championed Oregon’s efforts to combat climate change and air quality.
Asked if the county will begin developing emissions standards for equipment using methane gas, Vega Pederson did not commit to anything specific, but said she wants to ensure there is a robust engagement process and understanding of the impacts of any future actions.
“One thing is clear,” Vega Pederson told Street Roots. “More action on the climate crisis is needed at all levels of government.”
Last year, Multnomah County unanimously voted to sue big oil companies for their role in causing climate change, including the 2021 heat dome. The lawsuit sought $50 million in actual damages, $1.5 billion in future damages and $50 billion to better prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Advocates have increasingly pressured local governments along the West Coast, calling for the adoption of zero-emission appliance standards to mitigate the negative health impacts of burning gas inside homes.
Environmental and health advocates in California’s Bay Area Air Quality Management District won the first zero NOx emissions standard for furnaces and water heaters on March 15 — an effort to phase out new gas furnaces over the next decade as older appliances become obsolete. Multnomah County has the opportunity to enact similar measures.
A Multnomah County report released in November 2022 also noted stark inequities in exposure to air pollution.
“Low-income people and people of color are 1.5 times more likely to live in an area with poor air quality compared to white people,” the report said. “The CDC reports asthma rates to be much higher among Black children.”
That is on the minds of the coalition working to phase out gas appliances. Motz-Storey said heat pumps are two to three times more efficient than conventional electric heating systems.
“It's so important for us to come up with a smooth transition that ensures that low-income communities, that Black, Indigenous and other people of color communities, have the resources to be able to make this switch,” they said.
Motz-Storey said the coalition hopes the county will take action before Earth Day, April 22, saying it can be a leader for the entire state.
“I'm of the belief that … gas appliances are going to go the way of lead paint and asbestos eventually,” Motz-Storey said. “Our own everyday health should not be pitted against a single industry's profits in much the same way … that tobacco, lead paint and asbestos industries were reasonably regulated over time.”
Motz-Storey said the county has promised local health experts and environmental advocates it will get the ball rolling so county staff can get to work, but little tangible action has been taken.
The coalition urged local residents to contact Vega Pederson’s office, asking the board to schedule a vote and move forward.
“We need to start planning — yesterday,” Motz-Storey said.
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