Environmental group Stand.earth and concerned residents from British Columbia are filing a lawsuit against FortisBC for its alleged greenwashing of its gas products amid a climate and cost-of-living crisis.
The lawsuit claims that FortisBC has promoted the use of renewable natural gas and fossil gas for home heating, claiming that these sources are always more cost-effective and better for the environment than alternatives like electric heat pumps, which the lawsuit claims are false.
The lawsuit alleges that FortisBC’s advertisements exaggerate claims around the renewable natural gas in its system to get people to continue to connect to the gas system. Yet FortisBC omits that more than 90 per cent of the gas in its system is sourced from fracking in Northern B.C. and Alberta, a fossil fuel that is incompatible with a safe climate future, the lawsuit alleges. “Almost all of the gas delivered to a consumer in B.C. paying more for renewable natural gas is fracked gas, counter to what renewable natural gas advertisements of scenic trees and farmland would lead consumers to believe.”
The company is being accused of adding 10,000 new gas customers every year by advertising gas as a climate-friendly home heating source even as the company holds a near monopoly on gas supply. The plaintiffs argue that FortisBC must be held accountable for deceiving consumers and contributing to emissions in the province.
“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 B.C. But because electric heat pumps threaten the demand for gas, FortisBC continues to promote gas over electric heat pumps,” the group alleges.
Lori Goldman and Eddie Dearden, plaintiffs in the lawsuit against FortisBC, accused the company of misleading consumers into using fossil gas for home heating by claiming that gas is cheap and climate-friendly. They argue that FortisBC has made many claims about its use of renewable natural gas, but the company is actually contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
“As a sustainable builder, I also see the effects of FortisBC ads in trade magazines and with my clients who are having to make choices between using gas or electricity in their homes. FortisBC’s promotion of gas has made people think that connecting to gas is climate-friendly — this is misleading,” said BC resident Eddie Dearden.
“As a councillor for the city of Nanaimo, I experienced firsthand the heavy-handed lobbying that FortisBC has been leveraging to influence local municipalities to commit their communities to use their products. While the City of Nanaimo was in the process of implementing a Zero Carbon Step Code, Fortis pressured our mayor and council to change course by promising that every new residence in Nanaimo connected to gas would receive renewable natural gas if we did not implement the code. This misinformation was picked up by citizens who complained to council that we were blocking access to environmentally-friendly renewable natural gas,” said Paul Manly, Nanaimo city councillor.
The plaintiffs are seeking declarations, injunctions, and corrective advertising to prevent these misrepresentations from continuing.
Bob says
If Fortis has a gas monopoly, what does B.C. Hydro have.