Did you know the Oregon Legislature hasn’t updated our state climate goals in over 15 years? We’ve fallen out of step with the Paris Climate Accord’s ambitions to keep the world below 1.5-degree warming. Washington, California and other states have updated their climate targets to be in line with what science demands, but Oregon still has not. Senate Bill 522 will finally change this, and legislators need to hear from you that this is a priority to get done.
The bill also modernizes the Oregon Global Warming Commission and expands representation, including adding a youth representative. The timing for this bill is right. The federal Inflation Reduction Act positions the U.S. for a significant ramp-up in clean energy deployment, which supports Oregon’s glide path to raise our climate ambition now.
Currently, the bill is in the Ways and Means Committee (i.e, the legislative budget committee), awaiting its fate with most other policy bills. Your legislators need to hear from you NOW that this is a critical bill to pass this year. Don’t let our state go another year with outdated climate goals that don’t match our responsibility and opportunity to reduce climate pollution and protect Oregonians from the most dangerous impacts of climate change.
If you are an Oregon resident, you can click here to submit a letter to your Senator or Representative!
