Central Oregon residents are voicing strong opposition to the GTN Xpress pipeline expansion by TC Energy. Senators Wyden, Merkley, and Governor Kotec, along with Oregon’s attorney general have already voiced their opposition. Yet, the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) refuses to hear these objections. Recently, they rubber stamped the project to begin construction in SunRiver and Kent. (Near Madras) Coalition organizers are asking residents to get involved and voice their opposition. The project will doom Oregon’s Climate Goals, putting 1 million cubic feet of gas, daily, into an aging and vulnerable pipeline. To protest the pipeline expansion, a series of events will be held in Bend, and Sunriver, one of the sites for compressor station expansion. People may attend a meeting scheduled for June 5, in Bend, or join the protest in Sunriver on June 13. Visit 350deschutes.org to get involved.
Many feel that the GTN XPress pipeline expansion is a backwards plan. “The GTN expansion poses serious health risks to people in the region. “Pipelines are the weakest link in the fossil fuel production and transport system. According to industry records about 70 fires, explosions, and leaks occur every year on pipelines like the GTN Xpress. Over the 23-year period ending in 2023, these incidents resulted in 32 deaths and $1.6 billion in damages.” ~ Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH, Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Vulnerability to explosions and wildfire can occur at any place along the system, from compressor station to pipeline, and its supply lines to homes and buildings. “I’m concerned about vulnerable communities that live near the GTN Pipeline and its compressor stations. Forcing that much gas into an aging pipeline in a dry desert is a recipe for wildfire disaster. Explosions and 25 foot fires have already occurred in similarly aged pipelines in other areas,” stated Riccardo Waites, director of COBLA, Central Oregon Black Leadership Assembly.
Oregon’s climate goals will also be derailed. According to Nora Harren, of 350Deschutes, “The large volume of gas that will be pumped is the equivalent of putting 700,000 cars on the road every day for 30 years. It’s a real climate killer and we can expect significant damages.”
The expansion imposes a considerable burden on ratepayers — specifically Cascade Natural Gas customers. Organizers feel that Central Oregon does not want to pay for GTN’s pipeline expansion, nor does the community need or want this fracked gas. They state that many are on a pathway to electrification and clean energy. TC Energy is attempting to make Cascade customers foot the bill. Many customers are firmly against Cascade Natural Gas renegotiating with GTN to force this financial burden upon them. Especially since area customers may not even use this gas. Instead, Oregon will just be a transportation corridor with gas being transported to other areas, particularly overseas. Gas will continue to flow and service existing customers without this expansion.
Central Oregon communities are united in their stance against this unnecessary and harmful project. They demand a safe, sustainable, clean energy future, free from the risks and costs associated with fracked gas. With the trend towards electric heat pumps, which are 3 to 4 times more efficient than their gas counterparts, many will experience lower heating and cooling bills. The organizers feel that a unified opposition will ramp up pressure on FERC to do the right thing. They feel that FERC must consider the many costs this expansion entails. This information, better known as the social cost of carbon, (to health, environment, and safety) has thus far been ignored by FERC.
