No one should be forced to fund fossil fuel lobbyists every time they pay their energy bill. But that’s the current reality for millions of Americans whose utilities are members of the American Gas Association. The AGA works around the clock to keep us dependent on so-called “natural” gas, which is hot for the planet and toxic for our health.
That’s why the Gas Leaks Project launched DitchTheAGA.com, an online tool where consumers can check if their utility is a member of the American Gas Association (AGA) and take action to demand that they not have to pay for fossil fuel lobbying. Visit DitchTheAGA.com today to engage and spread the word about the AGA’s customer-funded fossil fuel lobbying!
Gas Leaks recently joined U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse to call out the AGA for their efforts to mislead the public about the health and climate harms of methane gas.
The event also included climate, health, and environmental justice groups working to speed the transition to clean energy in the Washington DC Metro area, including:
Washington Interfaith Network, a multi-racial, multi-faith group monitoring methane gas leaks in homes and communities across DC:
Electrify Our Future, a youth-led group working to help electrify Howard County, Maryland:
Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.:
The Sierra Club’s Building Electrification campaign, which is working to connect homes nationwide to clean electricity:
Physicians for Social Responsibility, which mobilizes doctors and health professionals to educate the public on the harms of fossil fuels and advocate for climate action:
Earlier in the day, Gas Leaks joined local partners for a protest in front of AGA headquarters in Washington, D.C., telling industry lobbyists, “We Won’t Pay For the AGA.”
Methane gas lobbying, funded by your monthly energy bill!
The AGA is at the center of industry efforts to stop the transition to clean electricity nationwide. They recently helped remove clean energy measures from model building codes nationwide, worked to strip cities of the right to ensure new buildings run on clean electricity, and spent decades using Big Tobacco PR tactics to mislead the public and regulators about the harms of methane gas.
Almost every gas utility in the country is a member of the American Gas Association, and many use money from their customers’ bills to pay their membership fees. That means more than 70 million Americans may be paying for the AGA’s lobbyists every month without ever knowing it.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission launched an inquiry in 2021 into money from ratepayers’ bills going to groups like the AGA, but has yet to issue a decision on the matter. Since then, four states — Colorado, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine — have passed laws to protect people from being forced to fund this kind of fossil fuel lobbying. Data for Progress recently found that a strong majority of voters support lawmakers preventing utilities from using ratepayer funds for lobbying activities.
