NW Natural told Oregonians it had a new source of clean energy: renewable natural gas derived from decomposing organic waste at sites like landfills or dairy farms. In 2017 the company helped to write a law promoting the development of the new fuel, with the promise that it could replace fossil natural gas in our pipelines.
Internal documents obtained by ProPublica reveal that the company paints a picture of going green while it continues to sell as much fossil natural gas in an average year as it did before. NW Natural maintains that it has been stymied in its efforts by lack of support from regulators and too many barriers.
McKenzie Funk, reporter for ProPublica, joins us to explain.
Contact “Think Out Loud®”
If you’d like to comment on any of the topics in this show or suggest a topic of your own, please get in touch with us on Facebook, send an email to thinkoutloud@opb.org, or you can leave a voicemail for us at 503-293-1983. The call-in phone number during the noon hour is 888-665-5865.