Methane & Climate Change

Methane gas from Richmond Gas Works is burned and leaked across Richmond and its suburbs. When methane gas is burned, it produces carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. When released directly into the atmosphere, methane is 80 times more powerful as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide, making gas leaks a serious threat to the climate. Recent data from Richmond Gas Works indicated that more than 5% of the gas to be delivered is lost to leaks in the distribution system, which Gas Works customers pay for in their monthly bills. That makes the pollution from Richmond Gas Works dirtier than burning coal in terms of climate impacts.

Worse still, there’s serious methane leakage before the gas even gets to our utility. That pollution from fracking the gas, processing, and transporting it is 60% higher than EPA estimates, according to a study published in the journal Science.
Richmond City Council has established a climate goal of a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2008 baseline. (Resolution 2020-R024) In declaring a climate emergency (Resolution 2021-R049), the City Council also committed to “working with the City’s Administration on an equitable plan to phase out reliance on gas”. It’s time for action towards meeting that commitment.

How do we accomplish these goals? Moving away from gas to heat our buildings, cook, and heat water. Today’s heat pumps, induction cookstoves, and heat pump water heaters are safer, better performing, and cheaper to operate than gas equipment.
In Virginia our electricity is increasingly moving to clean sources like solar and offshore wind, but gas remains dirty as ever.