Pacific Northwest
Preventing the Export Boom to Asian Markets
The Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia, is a strategic gateway for transporting fossil fuels from the interior of the United States and Canada to global markets. Movement victories in the region have stopped pipelines, ports, and export terminals like Jordan Cove and the Pacific Connector, while campaigns led by Indigenous communities continue to confront dangerous projects including the Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Coastal GasLink export terminal.
Equation Campaign’s grants support groups in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington State who are opposing the pipelines that cut through the heart of their homelands; the national climate and environmental organizations working with them; and the lawyers defending the rights of activists and organizations who face legal harassment and retaliation from the industry.
Site Fight Spotlight: Targeting the Money Pipeline
This region has achieved bellwether wins in the US fight against fossil fuels, being home to the first city (Seattle) to divest from a bank funding fossil fuel projects, a complete moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure in the geographically strategic King County, and the canceled Jordan Cove export terminal. These are due in great part to a vibrant, diverse, and networked grassroots movement that bolsters similar campaigns in British Columbia, while offering finance expertise to efforts around the country and world.
This year, grantees in the region advocated for the Fossil Free Finance Act, which would mandate that bank holding companies adopt a transition plan and reduce financing for fossil fuels. They have also led a divestment campaign against the Trans Mountain Pipeline and helped build global coalitions to stop the funding and underwriting of fossil fuels.
