Eugene voters will decide whether the city should ban natural gas hookups in new homes.
The controversial law that the Eugene City Council passed in February is at issue. It was the first law in Oregon, and one of almost 100 similar gas bans passed across the country.
Staff at the city and people who care about the environment say it’s essential to stop the growth of natural gas infrastructure and cut greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.
More than 12,000 people in Eugene signed a petition earlier this month to put the ordinance to a vote in the whole city. NW Natural, the largest investor-owned gas utility in Oregon, gave money to the group.
The Lane County Clerk’s Office has checked the signatures, and the Eugene city recorder has approved the petition. This means that it will be on the ballot in May or November.
The ordinance, which was supposed to go into effect for building permits submitted on or after June 30, could be put off by the ballot measure. It will have to be thrown out if voters don’t like it.
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The ordinance says new homes, townhouses, manufactured homes, and multifamily residential buildings with three stories or less can’t have natural gas pipes, fuel oil pipes, or other fossil fuel pipes or transport systems. It does not affect homes already built or the gas equipment in them.
NW Natural, which is based in Portland, has spent more than $954,000 on the effort to collect signatures. The utility has been fighting hard against Oregon’s efforts to get more people to use electricity.
It says that Eugene residents should be able to vote on the ordinance and points out that a poll paid for by the utility showed that 70% of Eugene residents were against the gas ban.
To stop climate change, cities like Milwaukie, Corvallis and Ashland have also said they are interested in banning natural gas.
Source- Oregonlive
