198 Methods is a left-of-center environmentalist organization that has shown support for various left-wing environmentalist causes, including the Green New Deal. ^{1 2} The group opposes zero carbon nuclear energy and regularly opposes projects for hydrocarbon energy sources and energy infrastructure, while favoring weather dependent power sources such as wind and solar. The group has opposed natural gas power, petroleum, shale oil, and coal. It also heavily opposes various nominees and bills related to energy sources and the construction of power station infrastructure. ³

Environmentalist Activism

In August 2017, 198 Methods referred several organizations to constituents to give donations for emergency services after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. Its promotion was based on its assertion that “climate change is racist.” ⁴

November 2017, 198 Methods published a report asserting that carbon emissions must be decreased by way of the Paris Agreement, wind energy, solar energy, and electric cars. It announced that it proposed to “delay, disrupt, and derail” gas pipeline construction. ⁵

November 2019, 198 Methods opposed the nomination of David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior. ⁶

Lobbying against FERC

On September 20, 2017, 198 Methods wrote a letter to Congress condemning several appointees and structural changes to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as S1460, HR1900, and the Energy Modernization Act of 2015. ⁷  The letter calls on Congress to conduct hearings in the FERC’s alleged “abuses of power” and to use findings to justify reforms to U.S. Code §717.

As part of 198 Methods’ opposition to FERC, it formed a campaign to oppose nominee James Danly from taking position as general counsel. The group encouraged constituents to tell elected officials “there’s no such thing as an acceptable Trump nominee!”⁸

Energy Infrastructure Opposition

In opposition to a coal power plant, 198 Methods supported and cited Swedish youth environmentalist activist Greta Thunberg to encourage breaking the law to risk arrest as part of their protest method. ⁹

198 Methods created a donation campaign to oppose the construction of a natural gas power plant in Robeson County, North Carolina. ^{10 11} The plant is considered the most cost-effective energy source for the area and brings in approximately $800 million in annual tax revenue. ¹²

198 Methods called for a campaign to contact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prevent license renewal for Westinghouse to produce fuel rods for nuclear power plants. ¹³

198 Methods organized a petition to defund “tar sands” pipeline construction. ¹⁴

198 Methods called for Attorneys General throughout the country to file lawsuits against energy companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell, accusing them of lying, and bearing liability for what they term a “climate crisis”. ^{15 16}

The Green New Deal

On April 10, 2019, 198 Methods signed a letter and co-sponsored a petition in support of the Green New Deal, a proposed “how do you sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) and Senator Ed Markey (D). ^{1 2}

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

In May of 2021, 198 Methods was one of 715 groups and businesses listed as a co-signer on a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate that referred to nuclear energy as a “dirty” form of energy production and a “significant” source of pollution. The letter asked federal lawmakers to reduce carbon emissions by creating a “renewable electricity standard” that promoted production of weather dependent power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels, but did not promote low carbon natural gas and zero carbon nuclear energy. ³

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹⁷ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹⁸

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1. “To Address the Climate Crisis, the Green New Deal Must Transform Our Food System and Revitalize Rural America.” Abundance NC. April 10, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://1bps6437gg8c169i0y1drtgz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Green-New-Deal-Food-and-Agriculture-sign-on-letter_Final.pdf
2. “Add your name: Support a Green New Deeal That Fixes Our Food System In Order to Combat Climate Change.” Daily Kos. April 12, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/add-your-name-support-a-green-new-deal-that-reflects-the-central-role-of-food-and-agriculture-system-in-a-climate-just-future?nowrapper=true&referrer=group-198-methods&source=20190412SWGreenDealFood_198
3. Letter from Center for Biological Diversity et. al. to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Rep. Frank Pallone. “RE: CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT A FEDERAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD AND REJECT GAS AND FALSE SOLUTIONS.” May 12, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz
4. Drew. “Harvey.” 198 Methods. August 30, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/2017/08/30/harvey/
5. Drew. “The pipelines and the wave.” 198 Methods. November 29, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/2017/11/29/the-pipelines-and-the-wave/
6. Drew. “Quick, slightly belated, update on Bernhardt.” 198 Methods. April 16, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://www.198methods.org/2019/04/16/quick-slightly-belated-update-on-bernhardt/
7. “Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda Organization Sign On Letter.” Delaware Riverkeeper Network. September 20, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2019.  https://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/sites/default/files/Stop%20Trump%27s%20Dirty%20Energy%20Agenda%20Organization%20Sign%20On%20Letter%20%282017-09-20%29.pdf
8. “Stop Trump’s corrupt FERC nominee, James Danly.” The Action Network. 2016. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-trumps-corrupt-ferc-nominee-james-danly
9. Drew. “No Coal, No Gas. Nobody will shut Merrimack down for us.” 198 Methods. September 26, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/2019/09/26/no-coal-no-gas-nobody-will-shut-merrimack-down-for-us/
10. “Stop LNG in Robeson County.” APPPL. 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://www.apppl.org/support-robeson-county/
11. “PNG Rate Hike Request and the Planned LNG Facility in Robeson County, NC.” 198 Methods. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/wp-content/uploads/PNG-Rate-Hike-Request-and-the-Proposed-LNG-Facillity-in-Robeson-County.pdf
12. Weinstein, Michael. “Liquefied Natural gas plant in North Carolina stays prepared for cold winter days.” Duke Energy. July 30, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/liquefied-natural-gas-plant-in-north-carolina-stays-prepared-for-cold-winter-days
13. Drew. “Too much pollution at Westinghouse already.” 198 Methods. November 24, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/2019/11/24/too-much-pollution-at-westinghouse-already/
14. “Sign the Petition to Banks: Stop Financing DAPL and Tar Sands Pipelines.” Daily Kos. 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://petitions.signforgood.com/Defundpipelines/
15. “Tell Congress and State Attorney General: Make Big Polluters pay.” Action Network. February 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-and-state-attorneys-general-make-big-polluters-pay/?source=group-198-methods&referrer=group-198-methods
16. Drew. “Prosecuting climate crime, one state at a time.” 198 Methods. November 20, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2019. http://www.198methods.org/2019/11/20/prosecuting-climate-crime-one-state-at-a-time/
17. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
18. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/