Why is propane being discussed as an option for heating buildings?
Propane is being proposed as a heating solution for buildings in Massachusetts by the fossil fuel industry despite the fact that propane is a fossil fuel that produces carbon dioxide (CO2) when combusted. Burning any fossil fuel for heating won’t reduce CO2 to levels needed to reach Massachusetts greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. The least expensive and most effective heating solution for buildings proposed by the Massachusetts 2050 Clean Energy and Climate Plan is electrification using heat pumps.
What is propane?
Propane is a gas normally compressed and stored as a liquid. Propane is a byproduct of natural gas processing and crude oil refining. During natural gas processing, propane is produced from recovered liquid components. These recovered components include ethane, methane, propane, and butane, as well as heavier hydrocarbons. During crude oil refining, propane and butane, along with other gases, are produced. Propane is also known as liquefied petroleum gas or LPG. Propane is not delivered via pipeline; it is purchased from a local supplier that delivers the fuel to an above-ground or underground storage tank. Although delivered and stored in liquid form, the propane vaporizes to supply appliances as a gas. Propane is made of fossil hydrocarbon fuels so emits CO2 when burned. When combusted, propane also produces unhealthy air pollutants including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and soot (PM2.5).
What is renewable propane?
Renewable propane, also known as biopropane, is produced from biomass-based feedstocks, including used cooking oil, animal fats, or 20% dimethyl ether (a synthetically produced alternative to diesel). The production of biopropane from biomass also produces GHGs and air pollutants. Burning renewable propane results in GHGs just like fossil propane. Renewable propane is one of the misguided solutions included as a renewable heating solution in the Roy/Feeney H.2938 & S.1822 An Act Advancing Renewable Heating Solutions for the Commonwealth bills filed this session in the Massachusetts Legislature. We don’t have time for incremental blending solutions that delay the transition to electrification and won’t bring us to our 2050 Net Zero mandate.
Who is PERC?
PERC is the Propane Education and Research Council—a trade association that is allowed to levy fees on the sale of propane that amount to $40M annually. Much of PERC’s messaging around propane is that it’s a “cleaner” fuel, but while propane may emit less CO2 than using coal, oil, or other fossil fuels, it still has a carbon footprint. PERC is running an aggressive pro-fossil fuel, anti-electrification campaign. PERC’s comparison of propane to dirtier fuels, claiming it to be “cleaner” or “lower carbon” when compared to these fuels, is a deliberate industry misdirect much like natural gas “bridge fuel” marketing claims of being cleaner than coal. Burning propane or biopropane would only make the climate crisis worse. Press coverage of PERC: New York Times, Distilled, Gizmodo.
Policy makers need to know:
- Propane (C3H8) is a polluting fossil fuel, derived from fossil fuels, not a clean heating solution.
- Burning propane instead of natural gas or oil does not significantly reduce production of GHGs so is not a climate solution for full or partial heating solutions. The PERC lobbyists are saying “propane is where heating should go next,” but we know electrification is the answer
- The MA 2025/2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plans states “Over the next eight years, the
Commonwealth will need to focus on transitioning its transportation and heating systems away from the combustion of fossil fuels.”
— Thanks to the Hydrogen and Biomethane Working Group of Gas Transition Allies