Multnomah County alleges NW Natural is behind 'substantial portion' of Oregon pollution

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County added two businesses — including Oregon's largest natural gas supplier — to a lawsuit accusing them of spreading misinformation about climate change and contributing to events such as the deadly heat dome in 2021, attorneys for the county announced Monday.

The lawsuit was originally filed in June 2023 seeking $51 million in damages and $1.5 billion in future damages to help the county pay for the costs of preventing, mitigating, and adapting to global warming caused by fossil fuels.

“We’re already paying dearly in Multnomah County for our climate crisis – with our tax dollars, with our health and with our lives. Going forward we have to strengthen our safety net just to keep people safe,” said Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. “As we learned in this country when we took on big tobacco, this is not an easy step or one I take lightly but I do believe it’s our best way to fight for our community and protect our future.”

On Monday, the county added NW Natural to the lawsuit, alleging the company is responsible for a "substantial portion" of greenhouse gas pollution in Oregon and claims the company spread misinformation about the impact emissions have on the climate.

The county added another business to the lawsuit, the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which is a nonprofit research group that was established in 1980 and claims to research ways to increase the quality and length of human life.

Multnomah County alleges that members of OISM were “propagandists” for the fossil fuel industry and that the nonprofit misleads the public about the likelihood and magnitude of climate change from burning fossil fuels.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, NW Natural said, “NW Natural is aware of reports that Multnomah County added it to a suit the County filed over a year ago against more than a dozen companies. NW Natural has not received a complaint from the County and cannot comment in detail. However, we believe adding the company to the suit now is an attempt to divert attention from legal and factual flaws in the case. NW Natural will vigorously contest the County’s claims should they come to court.”

OISM Vice President Noah Robinson told KOIN 6 News that the institute has not been served and that the lawsuit “makes no sense.”

The case is pending in circuit court in Portland and has not been set for trial.

NW Natural and OISM join the long list of defendants in the lawsuit, which includes major players in the oil and gas industries — including Exxon Mobil and Chevron.

The county claims the companies spread misinformation about climate change and blames them for the 2021 heat dome that killed dozens of people.

During the heat dome, Multnomah County and other parts of Oregon were trapped under hot air from June 24-29. For two days, temperatures were above 90 degrees and for three days, they topped 100. Portland hit a high of 116 degrees during the heat event. According to the county, at least 69 people died from the heat.

An Exxon Mobil spokesperson previously told KOIN 6 News “Suits like these continue to waste time, resources and do nothing to address climate change. This action has no impact on our intention to invest billions of dollars to leading the way in a thoughtful energy transition that takes the world to net zero carbon emissions.” 

Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr. of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, counsel for Chevron Corporation, said, “Addressing the challenge of global climate change requires a coordinated policy response. These lawsuits are counterproductive distractions from advancing international policy solutions. The federal Constitution bars these novel, baseless claims that target one industry and group of companies engaged in lawful activity that provides tremendous benefits to society.”