Lawyers from Ecojustice and Slater Vecchio LLP are representing Stand.earth and two concerned B.C. residents Lori Goldman and Eddie Deardon — taking the gas utility FortisBC to court for greenwashing its gas in the middle of a climate crisis.
Whether online, watching TV, listening to the radio, or going to municipal council meetings, British Columbians have been seeing and hearing FortisBC’s promotion of its renewable natural gas program and promise the climate benefits of staying connected to gas. Gas utility FortisBC’s words don’t match up with its actions. The company claims to care about climate action and affordability, but it continues to add 10,000 new gas consumers a year while falsely advertising gas as a climate-friendly source of home heating.
FortisBC has a near monopoly on the supply of gas to homes in B.C. and stands to benefit by encouraging people to buy new gas furnaces and lock themselves into using gas for decades.
FortisBC’s efforts to lock customers into using gas are in stark opposition to both BC’s climate goals and municipal commitments to advance zero carbon buildings. The B.C. government has determined that only heating systems that are at least 100 per cent efficient will be sold in B.C. by 2030 — and these do not include gas furnaces or boilers. In addition, 27 municipalities and counting have passed policies restricting or eliminating new construction with gas heating much sooner.
The use of fossil fuels to power buildings is a major contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. Emissions from buildings make up approximately 10 per cent of B.C.’s climate footprint, rising to more than 50 per cent of emissions in big cities. The province will have a difficult time meeting our CleanBC climate goals without eliminating gas heating in buildings.
Electric heat pumps provide heating and cooling aligned with a fossil free future, protect British Columbians from extreme heat, are cost-effective to run and are in the long-term interests of many households in BC. But the case alleges that because electric heat pumps threaten the demand for gas, FortisBC has to promote gas over electric heat pumps.
