Oregon raises the bar on clean energy and affordability

States have long been leaders and incubators of strong climate policy. Oregon has some of the nation’s most ambitious climate laws and Gov. Tina Kotek continued to raise the bar with her latest executive order directing multiple state agencies to make it easier to build more clean energy faster. This latest executive order, following on from the summer’s effort to make good on what was left of the Inflation Reduction Act’s wind and solar tax credits, directs state agencies to speed up energy permitting and processes to connect renewables to Oregon’s grid. It’s Kotek’s third climate-related executive order this fall, and aligns agency action with the state’s recently released energy strategy. 

Oregon’s Department of Energy (ODOE) released the first ever state Energy Strategy last month, which provides a roadmap for how clean energy offers the lowest-cost, most reliable course for the state to meet its climate goals. Conversely, the strategy warns, delaying the clean energy transition would be the riskiest path for the state’s energy system..

The answer, my friend

A federal court last week struck down the Trump administration’s broad ban on new offshore and federal-land wind energy projects. The ban, issued on Trump’s first day in office, has been a significant part of the president’s quixotic campaign against wind power. Reacting to the new court decision, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said that “whatever the federal administration’s position is on wind power, it does not have the right to arbitrarily ban development of this sustainable energy resource.” But Trump’s push to disinherit wind power has also included revoking permits for offshore wind projects in Oregon and other states issued under the Biden administration. These moves have also been challenged in court, but the breadth of Trump’s attacks have challenged states’ and the industry’s ability to respond strategically. Local developers and investors may still struggle to develop new offshore wind capacity for the time being. Climate journalist Michael Thomas notes that the still-slow overall pace of clean energy development in the US—due to local permitting challenges as well as political opposition—is on a collision course with ballooning energy needs, portending bad results for consumer electricity costs as well as climate stability.

Where wind development is underway, it can be a cause for local celebration, as with a new PSE wind farm in rural Montana, which is creating jobs and infusing new (clean) energy into the local economy. Costs are going down for utility-scale battery storage, making it easier for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to replace fossil fuels on the power grid. 

Countries that have invested more wholeheartedly in wind power are reaping the rewards in affordable, reliable renewable energy. Globally this year, renewable energy is expanding fast enough to meet all new electricity demand, while fossil-fueled power is expected to remain flat—that’s according to new research from energy think tank Ember. Last week, Great Britain set a new record, producing enough wind power to supply more than 23 million homes, or nearly half the country’s energy demand. China’s long-term investments in wind and solar technology mean that it will be eating the United States’ lunch on clean-energy economic measures and climate progress for the foreseeable future.

The US government is still avoiding the COPs

The international climate conference COP30 hosted delegates from over 200 countries in Brazil last month, with the US sitting out for the second time in recent years. In attendance on his own account was California Governor Gavin Newsom; New Mexico state representative Tara Lujan also attended, discussing her state’s recent law providing universal childcare and how that issue intersects with climate justice. The conference’s key priorities include addressing global emissions immediately, as the planet's rising temperature is set to exceed scientists' predictions.

This year’s summit focused specifically on the Global South and the financial investment that will be needed to address the damage caused in the developing world by climate change and global warming. Protests erupted throughout the convening, with indigenous advocates confronting their lack of representation. Climate advocates also held their own rallies alongside official events, denouncing what they deemed a performative summit. In some cases, conference security responded with aggression to these protest events. According to scientists (per BBC reports), the conclusion of COP30 is that the outcomes agreed upon (such as reducing emissions as much as possible, preserving tropical forests, and funding for the Global South) are unlikely to significantly reduce the projected impact of climate change.

What we’re listening to

Last month, David Roberts’ Volts podcast delivered a great episode on indoor air quality—a rising concern as climate change pushes more people indoors more of the time, even as airborne pathogens and wildfire smoke challenge indoor air quality.