Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether The Energy Co-op may be misleading consumers by marketing its natural gas program as “100% renewable natural gas” and “No drilling, no fracking” when some of the environmental attributes used to support those claims may come from renewable electricity certificates rather than renewable natural gas itself.
The Energy Co-op markets its renewable natural gas program as providing “100% renewable natural gas from organic waste facilities” and emphasizes “No drilling, no fracking.”
According to the company’s own FAQ, the program has historically been supported through environmental attributes obtained in more than one way. These include credits associated with genuine renewable natural gas injected into pipelines, but also RECs associated with landfill biogas that was instead used to generate electricity. The Co-op nevertheless treats both sources as supporting its renewable natural gas program.
Migliaccio & Rathod is investigating whether consumers reasonably understood the “100% renewable natural gas” claim to mean that the gas supplied or matched to their usage came from renewable natural gas sources, rather than being supported in part through renewable electricity certificates generated elsewhere.
Consumers May Have Experienced:
- Enrolling in The Energy Co-op’s renewable natural gas program;
- Seeing claims that their gas was “100% renewable natural gas”;
- Relying on “No drilling, no fracking” marketing;
- Believing their gas usage was being matched with renewable natural gas from organic waste;
- Paying more for a renewable or environmentally marketed natural gas plan; or
- Learning that some of the environmental attributes used to support the program were associated with electricity rather than renewable natural gas.
Potential Claims May Include:
- False or misleading environmental advertising;
- Misrepresentation of renewable-natural-gas claims;
- Deceptive trade practices;
- Breach of express warranty;
- Unjust enrichment; and
- Price-premium damages.
Signs You May Be Affected:
- You purchased natural gas through The Energy Co-op;
- You enrolled in its renewable natural gas program;
- The “100% renewable natural gas” or “No drilling, no fracking” representation influenced your decision;
- You paid more for the environmentally marketed plan;
- You believed the environmental attributes supporting the program came entirely from renewable natural gas; or
- You have bills, enrollment materials, screenshots, or emails showing the claims.
If you purchased The Energy Co-op’s renewable natural gas product because of its environmental representations, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call.