Oregon State government
Photo credit: benmacaskill
Oregon’s stunning natural beauty and history of clean energy innovation position it as a natural climate leader that can inspire action in the Northwest and beyond. However, in recent years Oregon's progress on climate action has stagnated while a growing list of states and territories have adopted carbon pricing policies, enacted more robust low-carbon fuel standards, and committed to a timeline for transitioning to 100% clean electricity.
Climate Solutions is working in Oregon to:
- Promote 100% clean energy: With support from Climate Solutions and other partners, Multnomah County and the City of Portland made groundbreaking commitments to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. We are helping them develop implementation plans to achieve these goals, and working with other cities and counties in Oregon to develop a groundswell of support for a 100% clean energy future.
- Accelerate clean transportation: The transportation sector is Oregon's largest source of climate pollution, and accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is a key way to clean it up. We are working with local governments, transit districts, and utility providers to build more charging stations, promote financial incentives for individual and fleet EV purchases, and encourage transit agencies to buy clean electric buses, rather than continuing to rely on dirty diesel, CNG, or other fossil fuels.
- Advocate for carbon-free, energy-efficient buildings: Heating and powering our homes and businesses generates a substantial amount of our climate-changing pollution. We are working with partners to move Oregon toward constructing homes and buildings that get all their energy from sustainable sources, and even produce as much energy as they use — net zero energy buildings. If all new homes and buildings were carbon-free and energy efficient, we would significantly reduce our climate pollution, drastically cut energy costs for owners and renters, and improve air quality where we live and work.
- Stop new investments in coal, oil, and fracked gas: The fossil fuel industry wants to keep us hooked on dangerous energy sources and use our state to expand their profits. With our urging, Oregon has already taken several momentous steps by stopping Portland General Electric from building a new fracked gas plant and ending Oregon's dependence on coal-fired power. We will continue sending a clear message that expanding fossil fuel infrastructure is not welcome in Oregon.
Read on for the latest updates on Climate Solutions' work in Oregon:
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by Jonathan Gates on March 10, 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: After partisan delay and denial tactics in the Oregon Legislature, Governor Kate Brown stepped up and fulfilled her long-standing promise to take strong executive action to address the climate crisis. Read more
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by Zach Baker on March 10, 2020Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has fulfilled her long-standing promise to take strong executive action to curb climate pollution. Learn more about what it does and why it matters. Read more
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by Jonathan Gates on March 6, 2020Once again, a minority bloc of Republican lawmakers backed by big polluters – this time in both the Senate and the House – chose to break our democratic process by refusing to show up for work for weeks, many hiding out of state. This is not how democracy is supposed to work; Oregonians deserve better. Read more
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by Meredith Connolly on February 24, 2020Our #1 priority remains comprehensive statewide climate action. The bill to make this happen, Senate Bill 1530, was just passed by the joint budget committees and is currently ready for a vote on the Senate floor. However, immediately after the budget vote this morning, eleven Senate Republicans fled the Capitol yet again to deny quorum for the Senate to conduct any business. Read more
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by Meredith Connolly on February 7, 2020A majority of Oregonians support climate action, especially as our own communities experience impacts of the climate crisis—like the floods hurting Eastern Oregon right now and the more intense droughts and wildfires of the past several years. We cannot waste another year debating whether Oregon should step up and address this climate emergency. Now is the time to act! Read more
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by Jonathan Lawson on February 7, 2020Climate progress confirmed as a top-tier political issue. Duh! Read more -
by Zach Baker on January 31, 2020As we head into the 2020 session, we’re doing everything we can to ensure the Legislature passes a strong cap and invest policy. We’re also working on a number of other complementary bills to move the ball forward on climate – some of which are also unfinished business from last session. Read more
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by Meredith Connolly on January 24, 2020Climate and clean energy advocates are determined to make 2020 a year of climate progress in Oregon. Here's how. Read more
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by Jonathan Gates on January 6, 2020A growing list of states and territories have adopted carbon pricing policies, enacted more robust low-carbon fuel standards, and committed to a timeline for transitioning to 100% clean electricity, but Oregon is not among them. Read more
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by Devon Downeysmith on December 20, 2019What it's like to read climate news every day: some days, it’s inspiring. Other days, it weighs heavy on the heart. Read more
