In The News

Washington set to be 2nd East Coast city with gas ban

Washington, D.C., is expected to become the second East Coast city to ban fossil fuel boilers and water heaters in most new buildings, following the unanimous approval of two bills by the City Council this week that are supported by the mayor. When the bills are enacted, the nation’s capital would join New York City in instituting a ban on most fossil fuel heat — an idea that has also spread to several dozen West Coast municipalities and, in a more limited way, across Washington state….

Study Reports Hundreds of Methane Gas Leaks in D.C.

Hundreds of active methane gas leaks from pipes sustained by the Washington Gas Company throughout the District have been revealed, according to a study released by Beyond Gas DC. The Beyond Gas DC report said neighborhood researchers who belong to organizations such as the District’s chapter of the Sierra Club or the civic umbrella group, Washington Interfaith Network [WIN], tested air from vents in utility access caps on city streets and sidewalks using an industry-grade methane detector. The report said the exact number of leaks came out to 389. The report also said over a dozen of the leaks hovered near the point of a possible explosion. The study took a year in duration and ended in February….

What’s that smell? Hundreds of gas leaks reported in DC

Beyond Gas DC found nearly 400 gas leaks all around the nation’s capital. When Fox 5 contacted the DC Office of Unified Communications, they said since January 2022 – they have received over 400 calls for the smell of natural gas. We spoke with two women who took part in the study and say they have been dealing with this their entire lives. Now, they suffer from headaches, dizziness, and even asthma….

Hundreds Of Natural Gas Leaks In D.C. Contribute To Climate Change

If you’ve ever walked down the street in D.C. and thought you smelled natural gas, you’re not imagining things. A new study by a coalition of environmental and religious groups found 389 gas leaks in neighborhoods across the city — more than a dozen of which had gas levels high enough to cause an explosion. “We have found leaks almost everywhere that we went,” says Barbara Briggs, a Quaker climate activist who worked on the study. …

Hundreds of gas leaks found in D.C. — some ‘potentially explosive,’ report says

Volunteers with a coalition of D.C. environmental and religious groups found almost 400 methane leaks throughout the city, including more than a dozen that were “potentially explosive,” according to a report released Wednesday. The report from Beyond Gas DC — a coalition run by the Sierra Club that includes environmental and religious organizations in the region — came as some D.C. residents testified Wednesday before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development, urging the city to switch to clean energy sources to protect the planet and public health….

Gas Leaks, Mold, and Lead Poisoning Top Concerns at DOEE Hearing

Gas leaks are a big problem in the District. Ward 4 accounted for the greatest number of leaks identified in a DOEE-commissioned methane emission study released by the Office of the Attorney General Nov. 30. The Capitol Hill neighborhood had among the highest number of gas leaks based on the study, which DOEE Director Tommy Wells attributed to aging infrastructure. Old and aging gas systems have long been known to be dangerous. It’s a fast-growing problem. The study found 3,346 surface gas leaks in 713 miles across District neighborhoods from April to June 2021—a per-mile increase when compared to the last such survey in 2014, Mark Rodeffer of Sierra Club D.C. pointed out. Rodeffer called for the city to use this data to identify priority buildings and neighborhoods to decommission fracked gas pipes and transition to green energy. …