Our 2024 climate work WRAPPED
2024 was the year that Breach’s local climate and energy campaigns got their groove back. Here’s a recap and a preview of what’s to come in 2025.
Turning the tide on Zenith
After years of pushback against the backroom deal Breach helped to uncover between the City of Portland and Zenith Energy, the future of Zenith’s operations in Portland are looking more vulnerable than ever. In the last month, Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality first paused proceedings for renewing Zenith’s air permit, then fined Zenith $372,000, based on a surprise inspection that revealed that Zenith was carrying out unlawful and unpermitted activities in Portland’s Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub. Zenith has now been asked to go back to the City of Portland to obtain new land use permissions.
With a new, more progressive City Council taking office in 2025, the City of Portland must now take a fresh look at Zenith’s operations. Breach will continue our relentless organizing against Zenith, and will push the City to finally conclude what we’ve known all along: Zenith’s operations are dangerous for Portlanders and our climate.
Holding gas utilities’ feet to the fire
2024 was a big year for bringing accountability to gas utilities. Oregon’s largest gas utility and greenhouse gas emitter – NW Natural – has been subject to particular scrutiny, both through reporting in ProPublica around their failure to reduce emissions through “renewable natural gas,” and separate lawsuits filed against the company in October challenging their climate harms and misleading greenwashing practices. These lawsuits (while not involving Breach) have come on the backs of our years-long efforts to persuade regulators to use the legal tools they have to hold NW Natural accountable for their greenwashing, and climate and public health harms.
Going into 2025, we will continue to keep the pressure on NW Natural and other gas utilities, with a particular focus on their renewable natural gas and hydrogen blending plans.
Leading the way locally
Despite having to weather a series of legal setbacks, Oregon’s local building electrification movement proceeds apace. This year, the Cities of Ashland, Bend, Eugene, and Talent each signaled their intention to move forward with new regulations on gas use in buildings – in many cases pursuing policies that were advocated for by Breach and our coalition partners. Breach has also been active this year in trying to persuade the Eugene Water and Electricity Board – Oregon’s largest public utility – to ramp up their electrification and weatherization subsidies for existing homes, and improve their low-income assistance programs.
Through our newest hire, Oregon Statewide Energy Transition Organizer Aya Cockram, Breach will collaborate with local partners in a host of Oregon municipalities in 2025 to ensure that our buildings are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting residents’ health, and lowering energy burden on Oregonians.
Help us realize our ambition in 2025
Our 2025 plans are larger than ever. Make a donation now to help us create a future where local governments prioritize public safety over polluter profits and advance policies that increase home energy efficiency and create clean energy jobs, and where fossil fuel companies can no longer poison public debate.
