People v. Southern California Gas Co.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) agreed to a consent judgment to resolve claims that SoCalGas misled consumers with statements that its natural gas was “renewable.” The Attorney General alleged that while SoCalGas had set targets to increase the proportion of renewable natural gas (RNG)—biomethane derived from landfills and dairy operations—in its portfolio, the “vast majority” of the company’s natural gas was not renewable. The Attorney General asserted that SoCalGas’s statements violated California’s Unfair Competition Law and Environmental Marketing Claims Act. The consent judgment permanently enjoined SoCalGas from stating or implying that its natural gas is “renewable” unless the statements comply with the FTC Green Guides. SoCalGas also must publish a statement on its website for at least 12 months that, among other things, describes the percentage of its natural gas deliveries that is RNG. SoCalGas also must pay an $87,500 civil penalty and pay an additional $87,500 that is to be disbursed to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.