Beyond Methane

What is methane?

Methane is the chemical name for natural gas. It’s what many of us use to cook our food and heat our homes. It’s also used by industry to power turbines and engines, and by utilities to generate electricity.

What’s the problem with methane?

It’s actually two problems. At home — if you have a gas stove, for example — the products of combustion are vented directly into your kitchen. Carbon monoxide, benzene, and other toxins become part of household air, and studies show that children exposed to such pollutants have an increased risk of respiratory illness (particularly asthma).

The bigger problem is outside. Throughout the city of Richmond and into its surrounding counties, methane is leaking from underground pipes — some of which are more than 100 years old. Some of these leaks are above the lower explosive limit (LEL) — meaning they can ignite or cause an explosion.

But it’s not just a safety issue. It’s costing you money.

If you’re a taxpayer in the city of Richmond, you’re indirectly paying for gas that leaks into the air. If you’re a homeowner with a gas bill, you’re also paying to subsidize local industrial customers. They pay a lower rate than you do, and part of your bill makes up the difference.

The real tragedy is that methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases responsible for the climate crisis, and the climate numbers have gone from bad to alarming. Climate impacts — droughts, floods, heatwaves, crop failures, extinctions — are exceeding the forecasts of just a few years ago. 2023 is on track to be the warmest year in human history.

While many people despair at the cost of confronting the climate crisis, the cost of ignoring it is orders of magnitude larger. Whole ecosystems are under threat. Fish stocks are dwindling in warming oceans. Millions of people will face temperatures that exceed survivability, and huge numbers of them will stream into other countries to escape. At times it seems hopeless. But it’s not.

Why “Beyond Methane”?

Beyond Methane is an organization — and a vision — for solving the problem of methane at home and in our communities. Just as we moved from horses to cars, we can move from spoiled environments to clean and safe ones, from squalor to sanctity. Human ingenuity might have helped create the climate crisis, but it also has solutions for it — most of them already proven and ready to go. Beyond Methane wants to set those solutions free.

How do we move beyond methane?

You wouldn’t know if from news coverage, but ongoing polls show that large majorities of Americans — from both political parties — are increasingly concerned about the changing climate. Polls also show that no one likes to talk about it. The climate crisis is enormous, complicated and overwhelming.

It may be hard to talk about, but we’re ready to listen. Beyond Methane is one of several local groups that are happy to share what we know, because what we know gives us hope. We went from buggies to cars, from landlines to mobile phones, from Kitty Hawk to the Apollo moonshot. We can do this, and you can help.

Is there a leak in your neighborhood?

Gas leaks recorded within the Richmond Gas Works service area are all over. Check the map below to find out if there’s a leak near your home.

Take action on gas leaks right now.

The Richmond City Council is about to consider a major step towards more effectively managing the city’s gas network (as well as improving oversight of its water and sewer services). A Public Utilities Commission is under consideration. You can learn more about it here, and show your support by contacting City Council here.

Contact Beyond Methane

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