GTN Xpress Pipeline: A clear and present danger to our communities
GTN Xpress: FERC's rubber-stamping puts communities at risk
The GTN Xpress fracked gas pipeline capacity expansion was recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—the project would be a disaster for nearby communities and our environment.
In fact, when news broke that FERC had rubber-stamped the project, the backlash was immediate. Opposition to GTN Xpress was loud and clear—thousands of community members, environmental and advocacy groups, Tribal members, Senators, Governors, and State Attorneys General all spoke out AGAINST the project. The media coverage was damning but many in our communities still don’t know about GTN Xpress and its danger.
Please read and SHARE media coverage highlighting the imminent danger of the GTN Xpress to Northwest communities.
Potential spills and explosions on the pipeline, which was built in the 1960s, would not only harm the environment but also present a heightened wildfire risk in the arid regions it passes through. “An explosion of that level in eastern Washington or eastern Oregon would be catastrophic,” -Audrey Leonard, Staff Attorney, Columbia Riverkeeper
“You have a region and states working really hard to try to diminish gas use and the pollution that goes with gas use, and you have the Biden administration saying they take environmental justice and climate seriously—and their FERC appears poised to rubber-stamp this project,” -Dan Serres, Conservation Director, Columbia Riverkeeper
“It just really illustrates the huge contrast between the Biden administration’s commitment to environmental justice and listening to front-line communities when you have a project like this one that has been opposed by not only the communities themselves, but also our senators and representatives and tribes,” -Audrey Leonard, Staff Attorney, Columbia Riverkeeper
“I think they need to be scrapped so we can start over with an agency that actually exists in sync with our need to take on climate change. If our national policy is that we are going to take on climate change, we have to dump an agency that greenlights fossil fuel project after fossil fuel project.” -Sen. Jeff Merkley
“The Commission’s decision violates the public interest and common sense, and we will file a petition for rehearing challenging this project. Since the analysis for this project was published, two major TC Energy pipelines have failed, causing safety hazards and spilling fossil fuel. If this were to happen in dry, rural, fire-prone lands or in the residential areas where TC Energy’s GTN pipeline is located, it would be catastrophic.” -Audrey Leonard, staff attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper
The GTN Xpress project, owned by TC Energy, is designed to transport an increased volume of fracked gas through the aging GTN pipeline across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, raising alarming safety concerns for the communities along its route.
TC Energy has a terrible safety record:
- In July, TC Energy’s Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline exploded in Strasburg, Virginia causing towering flames and a highway closure.
- Last December, TC Energy’s Keystone pipeline spilled nearly 600,000 gallons of crude oil into a Kansas creek.
The approval by FERC marks only the first step in a decision process that could have catastrophic implications. The dangerous GTN Xpress pipeline expansion also perpetuates fracking infrastructure and impacts on Tribal lands and binds the Northwest to fossil fuel for decades to come. We refuse to let that happen.
That’s why Columbia Riverkeeper and Rogue Climate are resolute in our commitment to challenge the GTN Xpress pipeline. FERC's decision is not the final word on GTN Xpress. Together, we WILL work to protect our communities, the environment, and our shared future.
Check out our media round-up of articles about FERC’s disastrous decision to push forward the GTN Xpress Pipeline. Then, share with your social networks! We’ll need everyone in the Northwest to stay informed and ready to take a stand to stop this disaster.
Additional media coverage:
- Clean energy, not expanding gas pipeline, is WA’s future, The Seattle Times, October 30, 2023
- U.S FERC approves expansion of TC Energy's GTN XPress Project, Reuters, October 19, 2023
- Federal regulators approve natural gas pipeline expansion in the Pacific Northwest, PBS, October 19, 2023
- Feds approve big natural gas pipeline expansion in Pacific Northwest, Portland Business Journal, October 19, 2023
- Pacific Northwest gas pipeline expansion approved by federal regulators, Jefferson Public Radio, October 19, 2023
- Federal regulators approve natural gas pipeline expansion through Oregon, Washington, Oregon Capital Chronicle, October 19, 2023
- OK of disputed NW gas pipeline expansion brings dismay from activists and senators, cheers from Chavez-DeRemer, KTVZ, October 19, 2023
- EEUU aprueba proyecto para expansión de un gasoducto en el noroeste del país, San Diego Union Tribune, October 19, 2023
- Local Leaders, Climate Groups Blast FERC Approval of Fracked Gas Pipeline Expansion, Common Dreams, October 19, 2023
- Federal Regulators Approve GTN Xpress Pipeline Expansion Despite Opposition, Pipeline Journal, October 23, 2023
We urgently need your support to take this fight to the next level. Please consider making a donation today. Every dollar counts towards safeguarding our communities and environment.
On October 19, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized a huge expansion of fracked gas in the Northwest. Grassroots organizations and community groups are joining forces to push back on FERC’s approval of GTN Xpress, a proposal by TC Energy to push more gas through its aging GTN pipeline.
