Cascade Natural Gas is proud to provide affordable, reliable energy to customers across Central and Eastern Oregon. We believe that pipeline energy paired with robust energy efficiency efforts, and continued innovation is critical to maintaining grid reliability while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Cascade partners with the Energy Trust of Oregon to deliver energy efficiency opportunities to core residential and commercial natural gas customers. We are revenue decoupled, meaning our profits are separated from how much natural gas is used by customers. This allows Cascade to aggressively pursue energy efficiency on behalf of our customers.
Cascade is actively exploring opportunities to support our communities’ energy priorities. We have partnered with Deschutes County to build a renewable natural gas production facility at the Knott Landfill to produce RNG from landfill gas and inject the RNG directly into its Bend distribution system. This is one of several RNG projects we’re pursuing in the Northwest. More information about our RNG efforts can be found at our Renewable Natural Gas page.
Additional information about the role of natural gas as part of a decarbonized future can be found in the FAQ below.
Natural gas is composed of four hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom (CH4). When it burns, natural gas produces mostly carbon dioxide, water vapor and small amounts of nitrogen oxides.
Much of the natural gas we find and use today began as microscopic plants and animals millions of years ago. However, renewable natural gas (RNG) can also be produced by capturing methane in biogas produced by dairies, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and other organic waste management operations that would otherwise go into the atmosphere. This biogas is converted to biomethane, a usable pipeline gas known as RNG that can supplement traditional geologic natural gas.
Cascade is a local distribution company that transports natural gas to over 75,000 customers in 28 communities in Oregon. We are currently exploring opportunities for integration of RNG into our system. Our focus is providing customers safe, reliable, competitively priced, and environmentally responsible energy service.
Cascade provides our customers with domestically sourced natural gas from three areas of North America: British Columbia, Alberta, and the Rockies. The plentiful supply of natural gas in North America makes Oregon, and our nation, less dependent on foreign energy imports, which compromise our energy independence and security.
Cascade Natural Gas is also proud to be actively exploring and implementing viable Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) opportunities. These projects are part of our company’s efforts to help support our communities’ carbon reduction priorities. Today, Cascade Natural Gas has RNG projects under contract in Oregon and Washington that will put more than 1 million MMBtu/year into the company’s system. These RNG projects will displace the equivalent of 17,120 residential customers’ annual natural gas usage based on average customer consumption. We anticipate the amount of RNG added to our system will continue to grow as additional projects are identified.
Cascade delivers natural gas through a highly engineered pipeline system in a safe, environmentally sound process.
Cascade uses the latest technology, security, and industry practices to monitor pipelines, and maintain service and safety. We execute many programs to ensure your safety: 24/7 design and construction monitoring; integrity management; inspection and patrol; public safety outreach; and communication/training with emergency officials.
We are also proud partners with 811 Call Before You Dig.
More information on our Safety Efforts can be found on our website.
While natural gas is safe for use in homes and buildings, health and safety risks can be mitigated through proper maintenance and operation of gas-fired appliances. Cascade recommends installing carbon monoxide detectors in buildings with gas equipment, and an exhaust for all electric and natural gas ranges, cooktops and ovens to eliminate the normal byproducts of cooking such as steam, smoke, grease and heat. Additional safety tips associated with the use of natural gas in homes and buildings can be found here.
Natural gas is essential to maintaining energy reliability as electric utilities add intermittent renewable resources like wind and solar that depend on the time-of-day and weather conditions. Natural gas allows more renewable energy to come onto the grid without risk of brown-outs.
As more renewable energy is placed onto the system, the direct use of natural gas provides reliable space and water heat, cooking, and other end-uses, taking pressure off the electric grid to provide energy for these essential needs. Natural gas also serves as an important back-up fuel in the event of a no-power situation.
Finally, certain electric technologies, like air-source heat pumps, have reduced capacity to operate effectively in cold climates and under cold weather conditions. Gas/electric hybrid systems can operate a heat pump when it is most efficient to do so, and uses natural gas backup heating when the weather gets too cold for the electric heat pump to operate efficiently. Natural gas heat pump technology is also evolving to meet the need for highly efficient cold climate heating and cooling. Cascade is proud to serve on the board of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) which is making progress in the market-development of this technology in our region.
Cascade’s Oregon pipeline includes mains, services, and transmission facilities that can transport both traditional fuels like natural gas, as well as low- and no-carbon fuels like renewable natural gas and hydrogen.
In 2021, Guidehouse, an energy consulting firm, conducted analysis on behalf of Oregon’s Rural Service Providers including Cascade, which concluded delivery of low carbon gas through deployment of hydrogen technology results in the greatest reduction in economywide GHG emissions. In a decarbonized future, gas networks would continue to support the reliability and resiliency of Oregon’s broader energy system by transporting and distributing low carbon gas and hydrogen. Guidehouse found that scenarios with high levels of electrification do not eliminate GHG emissions from Oregon’s economy unless Oregon’s power sector fully decarbonizes the electricity supplied to its customers.
The natural gas industry, and the industries dependent on it, play an essential role in Oregon’s economy.
Natural gas provides skilled careers for pipefitters, and chemical workers, as well as HVAC and water heating contractors. It is also essential to the manufacturing of a wide variety of health, domestic infrastructure, and energy efficiency products— including pharmaceuticals, plastics, steel, and synthetic fabrics.
In Cascade’s service area, Oregon farmers rely on fertilizers made with natural gas. They also depend on natural gas for its affordability and reliability for heating even during a power outage.
There is no statewide ban on the use of natural gas in Oregon, nor any restrictions on the use of natural gas in Cascade’s Oregon service area. However, some municipalities in western Oregon are considering local ordinances to limit or eliminate the use of natural gas.
Natural gas utilities in the Northwest are committed to continuous improvement.
Cascade is a founding partner of the EPA’s Natural Gas Star Methane Challenge Program which supports comprehensive actions to reduce methane emissions. We’ve engaged with this initiative since March 2016.
We are also actively exploring a range of technologies to benefit our customers which we have begun to integrate as part of our resource planning process. Such technologies include renewable natural gas, hydrogen, and networked thermal energy.
More about the company’s Environmental Priorities can be found on our website.
Cascade continues to support policies that encourage innovation in the energy sector while maintaining safe, affordable, and reliable energy options.
Senate Bill 98, which was passed by the legislature and signed into law in July of 2019, supports development of RNG efforts for large and small natural gas utilities. This law has helped empower Cascade to explore and integrate renewable natural gas as an additional source of energy for our customers.
Absolutely. Cascade has been a long-standing champion of energy efficiency. Through our partnership with Energy Trust, Cascade customers are consistently reducing their annual natural gas consumption while investing in high-efficiency equipment and energy efficiency upgrades such as insulation, duct sealing, and controls.
More information on our Energy Efficiency programs can be found on our website.
Cascade is revenue decoupled, meaning that our profits are separated from how much gas is used by customers. This means we aggressively pursue energy efficiency on behalf of our customers.
Yes. Cascade is pleased to offer grant opportunities to the communities it serves through its Environmental Community Opportunity (ECO) Fund.
The ECO Fund supports projects that enhance environmental education and stewardship in the communities we serve. Environmental education projects may include grants for teacher training, books, or equipment for classroom use, field trips, or special project support of the natural or physical sciences. Details can be found in the ECO Fund Brochure.