Advocacy group Stand.earth and British Columbia residents have taken natural gas and power distributor FortisBC to court accusing it of greenwashing by promoting gas as a cheaper and cleaner fuel than alternatives.
The lawsuit before the BC Supreme Court “claims that FortisBC has promoted the use of renewable natural gas and fossil gas to residential consumers, representing that these sources of home heating are always more cost-effective and as good or better for the environment than alternatives like electric heat pumps”, the plaintiffs said in a joint press statement. “Neither of these claims is true”.
The plaintiffs claimed that through these marketing claims, FortisBC has been able to add 10,000 new gas customers a year.
“FortisBC has a near monopoly on the supply of gas to homes in the province and stands to benefit by encouraging people to buy new gas furnaces and lock themselves into using gas for decades”, the statement said.
“FortisBC emphasizes its renewable natural gas program to consumers, but almost all of the gas they deliver to British Columbians is from fossil fuels”.
The plaintiffs argue electric heat pumps provide cleaner and more cost-effective heating and cooling.
In a statement, the defendant said, “FortisBC disagrees with the allegations contained in the claim and maintains that it has conducted itself at all times in accordance with its legal obligations”.
“FortisBC takes climate change very seriously and is taking action to help B.C. meet its climate goals”, added the statement on the company’s website.
“FortisBC always works to protect the environment — whether by helping customers reduce their GHG emissions, progressing initiatives to lower our own operational GHG emissions or implementing new environmental protections”.
Named as defendants in the suit are FortisBC’s gas utility, FortisBC Holding Inc. and their parent company Fortis Inc.
Eddie Dearden, BC resident and suit claimant, said in the plaintiffs’ media statement, “It should not be left for small businesses and residential home designers to inform British Columbians about the true nature of the substance they are bringing into their homes”.
Meanwhile Nanaimo City Councilor Paul Manly accused FortisBC of “heavy-handed lobbying” to grow its consumer base.
“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”, Manly commented in the plaintiffs’ press statement. “This misinformation was picked up by citizens who complained to council that we were blocking access to environmentally-friendly renewable natural gas”.
Fortis, the parent company, has not replied to a Rigzone request for comment.
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