Fossil fuel lobbyists are rewriting clean energy laws to keep methane gas on top
A wave of state bills pushed by fossil fuel interests aims to label methane gas as “clean” energy, undermining climate policies and misleading the public.
Emily Sanders reports for The Lever and ExxonKnews.
In short:
- Dark money groups and industry-aligned think tanks like ALEC are pushing model legislation across states to redefine methane gas as “green” or “clean,” threatening renewable energy goals.
- These laws could gut local and state-level clean energy standards, forcing cities like Nashville to count methane gas as renewable — even when their goals were to cut fossil fuel use.
- Methane is a major driver of climate change and poses serious public health risks, yet gas lobbyists are pushing this rebrand to preserve their profits and stall the shift to wind and solar.
Key quote:
“It’s simply a grand effort at greenwashing a dirty energy source.”
— Gabe Filippelli, executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute and professor of earth sciences at Indiana University
Why this matters:
It’s a rebrand worthy of Orwell. In places like Tennessee, where Nashville’s leaders aimed to ditch fossil fuels, these bills could force cities to pretend gas is green, sabotaging climate goals and public health protections in the name of "choice" and “energy freedom.”
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