A blue flame burns on a natural gas stove.
Cassandra Profita / OPB
A year after the failure of its natural gas ban, the city of Eugene is looking for new ways to reduce carbon emissions.
City Council previously tried to ban natural gas hook-ups in new low-rise residential buildings. But that drew pushback from an advocacy group backed by Northwest Natural.
Ultimately, councilors pulled the ban after a federal court struck down similar restrictions in Berkeley, California. The 9th Circuit ruled that federal energy standards preempted the city’s authority.
Now, Eugene city staff have returned with a list of decarbonization strategies that other cities have been able to implement. This includes “Carbon Impact Fees,” educational programs for businesses, and an expedited permitting process for those seeking to build electrified buildings.
Related: NW Natural once again misses its own targets to offset emissions with renewable natural gas
At a meeting Wednesday, City Councilor Lyndsie Leech said she was excited by the possibilities.
“The next steps are to dive in deeper on a lot of these things,” said Leech. “What’s it going to take, what funding levels are we going to need to implement them, and what regulatory actions need to happen?”
Before the end of the year, City Council will reconvene to discuss possible revenue sources and what the strategies would require.
Meanwhile, Councilor Mike Clark also proposed trying to pursue a franchise agreement with Northwest Natural, to get funding for weatherization of buildings.
According to City Manager Sarah Medary, negotiations around that agreement stalled when the city began discussing decarbonization.
Moving forward, Eugene may have more regulatory authority than previously thought. In January, the 9th Circuit clarified that its ruling against Berkeley didn’t apply to city restrictions on how natural gas is distributed.
