Hawaii Gas is conducting a blitzkrieg against Bill 25, a Honolulu City and County building code revision that would require new single-family buildings to use renewable energy for at least 90% of water heating.

Its CEO has sent a letter to customers vilifying Bill 25. She has had both a commentary (“Hawaii’s energy goals have room for renewable natural gas,” Island Voices, Sept. 3) and a letter to the editor (“Gas water heaters an affordable, clean option,” Sept. 20) published in the Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Gas has railed on its site (www.hawaiigas.com/landing-page/bill-25-2019) and posted at least three ads on Facebook.

Bill 25 asks for water in new homes to be heated using renewable energy, as has been state law since 2010. Hawaii’s Legislature saw the common sense behind this a decade ago, but developers have exploited a variance in the law ever since, twisting its flexibility to acquire over 99% of the exceptions they’ve applied for to install gas-powered water heaters.

Hawaii Gas has profited from this perversion of the law’s intent, and Bill 25 does not please it. Even though the bill would affect only new potential customers, and still allows exemptions for “poor solar resource or installation (that) is cost-prohibitive,” Hawaii Gas is firing all its guns at this overly modest step toward fighting the climate crisis.

In a Sept. 5 letter to its customers, the company’s vigorous disinformation campaign claims that “Bill 25 … would essentially eliminate your right to choose a gas water heater.” But that right was usurped by the developers who built your home, and if they chose gas, it was only for their immediate profit. Solar water costs developers more to install, but after four to five years, your cost as a homeowner — or renter paying utilities — breaks even. Then your water heating is as free as the sun, and you won’t see a monthly gas bill. Ever.

Also, natural gas is not pono. Its emissions affect literally everyone. Developers need an ordinance, or they will choose cheaper.

Hawaii Gas employees have implied in testimony that Bill 25 will cost them their jobs. But the measure applies only to new buildings. If someone has a gas industry job now, they will still have it.

If the company really cared about its workers, it would move into renewable energy, a business with a future, and retrain them for jobs that will last. The natural gas business is doomed, and really should just go away as soon as possible, like coal mines.

As for renewable natural gas, Hawaii Gas said in Aug. 22 testimony to the City Council’s Zoning, Planning and Housing (ZPH) Committee that it “is actively working towards this goal [of 90% renewable energy] by producing more renewable natural gas.” This is ludicrous. Hawaii Gas testified that about 3% of the gas it produces is renewable natural gas — and when pressed, it guessed that after years, it might reach 30%, but gave no supporting information.

Hawaii Gas is deceiving you, by distorting or ignoring facts. The liquefied natural gas that “The Clean Energy Company” sells is almost pure methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Gas water heaters are an anachronism hindering us from making the emissions cuts we need to reach our clean energy goals.

A hearing today of the City Council’s ZPH Committee could decide Bill 25. Hawaii Gas surely is pressuring committee members — but if members hear from enough constituents (see honolulu.gov/ccl-testimony-form.html), they will feel support to make the difficult decision that is their responsibility as our elected representatives.

Brodie Lockard founded 350Hawaii.org, a group fighting climate change, in 2014.