Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org, 914-261-4626
Olympia, WA -- Today, Governor Jay Inslee directed the Washington State Department of Ecology to adopt new rules that would apply the most current climate science to environmental assessments and ensure that the full climate impact of proposed fossil fuel projects is taken into account.
The directive takes a comprehensive approach to creating accountability for all greenhouse gases attributable to the project throughout its full life cycle, including extraction, transportation, leakage, and burning. This will ensure that the climate impact of methane, a greenhouse gas with 87 times more powerful than carbon during the time it remains in the atmosphere, is accounted for in assessments of all fracked gas proposals.
In response, Jesse Piedfort, Director of the Sierra Club Washington State Chapter, released the following statement:
“This is an important step towards getting a true understanding of the climate impacts of fracked gas. These are part of the critical issues at stake for massive new facilities like the ones proposed in Tacoma and Kalama, or the gas appliances that make Washington’s buildings our fastest growing source of climate pollution. Our state is being overrun with proposals for fracked gas projects, and we cannot protect our communities or tackle the climate crisis if our government agencies aren’t using the best available science in their reviews. With today’s order, Governor Inslee is living up to his commitment to climate leadership.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.