Testimonials
We asked hundreds of people to share their thoughts on the importance of energy diversity and energy choice in their lives, and they wrote back. Below is a sample of lived experiences of individuals who reside in geographically diverse areas of the Pacific Northwest, including metropolitan Portland, rural Washington, and beyond. Share your story with us today!
Surviving the January 2024 Winter Storms
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We lost power for several hours and thankfully we had a propane powered generator that kept our family warm and didn't have spoilage of our food during the cold snap. We can't rely 100% on electricity!
- Lori M.,
Island County, Washington
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I live in what is essentially the Fraser River Delta in Birch Bay, Washington. My weather is much different than Seattle/Everett, and even Bellingham in the same county. This year, we saw temperatures as low as eight degrees Fahrenheit for a succession of nights, along with nine inches of snow. In the past, power has gone out, and I needed to use a generator for electricity, which is enough to power the blower of my furnace which operates off clean natural gas. Because of this, I was able to stay warm.
– Kevin C.,
Birch Bay, Washington
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We had a limb come down that took out our power. We were without power for 12 days. Although our natural gas furnace was damaged by the power surge caused by the fallen limb, we have a gas fireplace, a gas stove, and a gas water heater. We were able to keep warm and cook food. Thank God for natural gas. Glad we had alternatives to electricity.
- Linda M.,
Eugene, Oregon
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My wife and I built a new home in King County in 2022. It is the home we intend to age gracefully in. We built it with energy security in mind. With an eye to the environment, it is all electric except for two features: a natural gas-powered backup generator and a gas fireplace. Both are intended to keep the house warm in the event of electrical power outages, which are an every-winter event on the Enumclaw plateau. It is our sincere hope that we will continue to enjoy energy diversity and not have our lives imperiled by ill-considered political choices.
William P.,
Enumclaw, Washington
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We did not lose power, however, we did receive e-mails twice from the local utility asking us to turn off lights, etc. due to high electrical demand. If Washington bans natural gas, we truly will be freezing to death in the dark. I have a small generator that allows me to run our gas furnace during power outages. Without natural gas coupled with the rising demand on electricity, there is no way we will be able to meet power needs.
– Henry W.,
King County, Washington
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I live in the Rose City Park district of Portland, right next to NE Sandy Boulevard. My neighborhood south of NE Sandy lost power due to trees falling on powerlines. Our neighborhood was without power for nearly 36 hours in 18-degree temperatures, with wind bringing the figure closer to 13 degrees. Due to the power outage, my mother and I both stayed with family during the January freeze because there were no hotels or motels left with rooms. This was a life-threatening, scary time in the middle of Oregon's largest city. Drastic change is required for a very broken energy system.
- Todd M.,
Portland, Oregon
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I must admit, being a gas customer, I wasn't concerned about how bad the January storms might get. With natural gas as my heating source and cooking source, I feel safe.
– Lory R.,
Everett, Washington
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The winter storm temperatures were too cold my heat pump. I hired a neighbor to split wood and got my wood stoves going. Only had a few cool nights until the wood stoves got the house heated up.
– John C.,
Newport, Oregon
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At least two times natural gas provided by Puget Sound Energy kept our generator running, providing light, heat, and kept food from spoiling.
- John H.,
Snohomish, Washington
The Importance of Renewable Natural Gas and Energy Choice
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I love having gas cooking, gas water heater and a gas fireplace. It's clean and it works great. Electric has it's place, but I want it as a part of my life.
– DeLori K.,
Redmond, OR
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Since modern technology allows waste to be converted to RNG, and it's possible to distribute RNG to customers via the existing gas grid, it should be developed as another energy choice available to customers.
– Ann M.,
Vancouver, WA
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A diversity in energy products is imperative. Businesses rely upon natural gas to manufacture and provide goods & services. Restaurants need it for efficiency to keep labor costs down and provide food quickly. Hotels need it to heat water to serve guests, etc. Hospitals and grocery stores need it for redundancy as they deliver core services. Residents rely on gas to heat their homes inexpensively.
- Kristi T.,
Issaquah, WA
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Obtaining energy from a wide variety of sources is wise to offset shortages from one or more sources of energy e.g. solar energy when cloudy or wind energy when calm.
– Charles O.,
Lake Oswego, OR
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I support the use of RNG to be combined with Natural Gas as a means of minimizing the discharge of the products of decomposition from directly entering the atmosphere.
– Michael F.,
Federal Way, WA
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Putting our waste and landfills to good use is a win for everyone. Natural gas is fundamental to our well-being. Getting it from all sources makes sense.
- Louise R.,
Gig Harbor, WA
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It is practicing conservation and provides clean energy to offer renewable, and affordable energy choices.
– Jennifer A.,
Issaquah, WA
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Since landfill, wastewater sludge, food waste and other organic waste create gas; why not use that gas for energy? It seems like a common sense productive use of what otherwise would be more waste. What else would be done with it; burn it off and/or release it into the atmosphere? More energy sources benefit people by lowering costs.
– Holly P.,
Kennewick, WA
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Since we continually are creating more and more waste as our population grows and our desire for more and more possessions increases eventually ending up in our landfills we must find a real way to recycle our waste. Being able to use some of this waste stream as an energy source is a good step in the right direction.
- Brian B.,
Medford, OR
