A measure that would ban natural gas and other fossil fuel infrastructure from some new residential construction in Eugene will appear on future ballots.
Eugene residents submitted nearly 12,000 signatures to a referendum petition earlier this month for an energy choice. The Lane County Clerk’s office verified at least 6,460 matching signatures from people registered within Eugene, and the recorder approved the petition.
According to a press release, those who received the ordinance from Eugene officials in February were “dishonored” before a public vote with community support.
Their success means the city would have to put the gas ban on hold pending a public vote or repeal it entirely if voters reject the measure. The measure is likely to appear on the November ballot.
Almost 100 cities across the country have received similar orders. Eugene was the first in Oregon to do so.
Proponents of the initial ordinance criticized the bid committee, which they say “exists only to fulfill NW Natural’s bid.” The gas utility opposed the gas ban and donated more than $900,000 in cash and services to the campaign.
David Roy, NW Natural’s senior director of communications, called the allegation that the committee is a front group “surprising” and said it is a separate entity that the utility supports because “we believe the voters of Eugene should have a say in this decision in to talk about the ban on gas in Russia, new houses.
Roy added that NW Natural follows state regulations and guidelines and that customers do not support contributions.
The decree applies to new residential construction
The ordinance, passed Feb. 6, bans fossil fuel infrastructure in new low-rise apartment buildings. It would take effect for building permits submitted on or after June 30, 2023.
It defines fossil fuel infrastructure as “natural gas pipelines, flue gas pipelines, or other fossil fuel pipelines or on-premises transmission systems that connect a source of supply to a fossil fuel facility.”
Low-rise residential buildings are buildings not higher than three stories that contain one or more permanent residences, including:
- Separate houses for one and two families.
- Residential houses (cities).
- Manufactured homes.
- Multi-storey residential buildings.
The ordinance does not include mixed-use buildings that have both retail and residential uses. It also does not include existing homes.
Measure the order of the mirrors, request a change
The measure attached to the application reflects the language of the ordinance.
Petitioners used the word to get 12,262 signatures and qualified the measure for future ballots. Their failure to get enough signatures means enforcement of the order remains on hold.
Jim Ball, one of the three named petitioners, said the ballot measure would give Eugene voters “an opportunity to make their voices heard.”
Although officials heard testimony about the ordinance through public hearings and public forums, opponents of the gas ban criticized the process and urged the council to make it a ballot measure.
“It’s good to see democracy in our society,” Ball said in a statement.
Three Eugene residents are asking a judge to change the language of the ballot measure.
Environmental, public health and social justice advocates who backed the gas ban say the title of the ballot published by the city based on the prospective application is not a sufficient, concise or fair definition of the order.
They asked for changes that add context, such as information about the Climate Recovery Resolution, which requires the city to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 50% from 2010 levels by 2030.
More:Eugene voters are asking a judge to change the language of a proposed gas ban measure
The Lane District Court will decide the appeal. An oral argument on the application is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on April 4.
Activists: A “front group” committee funded by NW Natural
People who supported the ordinance and the ballot call say Eugene Residents for Energy Choice is a “front-line group” that uses NW Natural contributions to “bank signatures for a ballot referendum to roll back climate change policy in the community.” . committed to the clean energy transition.”
NW Natural donated $875,000 in cash to the campaign, according to state campaign finance reports. The gas company also donated $79,080.38 in kind, including voter information and supplies.
Anonymous individuals donated $75 in various cash contributions and $90 in in-kind contributions.
The committee spent just over $700,000:
- $659,566.52 to I&R Campaign Management Services, located in Newman Lake, Washington, to assist with canvassing and other efforts.
- $50,095 to Funk/Levis and Associates in Eugene and Gard Communications in Portland for communications and consulting.
- $1,575 to KPNW for radio advertising.
- $37.75 for various items.
Youth and other community members protested NW Natural’s efforts to withdraw the ordinance on March 3, describing the ballot measure as a “direct attack on local democracy and climate justice.”
Danny Noonan, a climate and energy strategist, said the “incredible amount of money coming into this campaign in such a short period of time from a fossil fuel company” clearly shows the group is a front for NW Natural’s desire to topple the council. vote
Noonan works Breach Collective, a local climate justice advocacy groupand lives in Whiteaker.
Lottie Rohde, a Churchill student and organizer of the climate strike, lamented that NW Natural is working to “undo the years of work” she and other young people have invested in fighting for climate action.
Environmental activists say NW Natural has spent “significant resources to undermine and delay climate action policies in Eugene and throughout its distribution area in Oregon and Washington,” including:
- Lack of peer-reviewed science linking indoor combustion to asthma and other health issues.
- Spending thousands of dollars on children’s workbooks to distribute to Oregon schools.
- Sponsorship of teacher training canceled after planned student protest.
- Hiring a scientist in the field to doubt the scientific evidence about the health risks of gas stoves.
- Paying a campaign service company to participate in the public hearing on the gas ban in November 2022.
Dylan Plummer, a senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club who lives in the Amazon neighborhood, said there is nothing more NW Natural can do that surprises him.
The gas company has shown it is “willing to do whatever it takes … to keep Oregon off the polluters of fossil fuels,” Plummer said.
Contact City Government Supervisor Megan Banta [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.
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