–
January 11, 2021
Eugene’s franchise agreement with NW Natural is up for negotiation, and City Council needs to hear your input! Join us in speaking up at the next City Council meeting. There will be time available for public comment (2.5 minutes per person). Sign up to make a public comment by raising your hand in the meeting between 7:15-7:35. See link at the end for talking points!
***
Eugene’s City Council, Mayor, and City Manager have considered numerous options in negotiating a new franchise agreement with NW Natural, including no new “natural” fracked gas infrastructure in our city. After two six-month extensions, and now with a third extension approved which ends in May of 2021, no agreement has been reached.
NW Natural is trying to force the city to agree to their self serving demands, which include unlimited expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in our city and charging customers to fund emissions reductions, while not contributing anything themselves. If the city agrees to this, it will be impossible for the city to meet the climate goals laid out in the CRO — especially considering the fact that the current Climate Action Plan (adopted July 2020) already leaves a 40% gap to meeting CRO goals.
Eugene’s City Council, Mayor, and City Manager have considered numerous options in negotiating a new franchise agreement with NW Natural, including no new “natural” fracked gas infrastructure in our city. After two six-month extensions, and now with a third extension approved which ends in May of 2021, no agreement has been reached.
NW Natural is trying to force the city to agree to their self serving demands, which include unlimited expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in our city and charging customers to fund emissions reductions, while not contributing anything themselves. If the city agrees to this, it will be impossible for the city to meet the climate goals laid out in the CRO — especially considering the fact that the current Climate Action Plan (adopted July 2020) already leaves a 40% gap to meeting CRO goals.
We need to phase out fossil fuel infrastructure. There is no climate justice and no livable future for any of us without an urgent path off of fossil fuel energy sources. The first step in this process is to stop expanding use of fossil fuels. Eugenians have spent years demanding that the city address this by halting the expansion of fracked gas infrastructure in Eugene, and the City Council is starting to listen.
Join us in calling on our city leaders to stand up to corporate greed and fight for our community, instead of ceding to the demands of companies that only have their own short term financial interests in mind. We need a just transition off of fossil fuel energy in order to meet our community’s emissions reductions targets, and we need it now!
You can find more info and talking points here: https://350eugene.org/fossil-free-eugene/