Northwest Natural Gas v. Environmental Quality Commission

Twelve businesses and trade groups filed a lawsuit in the Oregon Court of Appeals challenging the Climate Protection Program rules approved by the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission in December 2021 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas. The Albany Democrat-Herald reported that the petition alleges that the rules “will have a profound and unprecedented impact on everyday life in Oregon” because business and consumer use of the fuels is central to Oregon’s economy, and that a representative of the Oregon Farm Bureau, one of the plaintiffs, contended that the Department of Environmental Quality exceeded its statutory authority when it enacted the rules. Three utilities also filed a lawsuit challenging the rules, as did the Western States Petroleum Association.