In my last blog post, I wrote about how Oregon's Environmental Quality Commission was stacking the Climate Protection Program (formerly cap-and-reduce) rulemaking advisory committee with more voices from the fossil fuel industry, as compared to those representing Tribes, environmental organizations, scientists, public health experts, or frontline communities.

​​​​During the first meeting of that committee, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) proposed exempting Oregon's fossil gas power plants from the Climate Protection Program. DEQ also is considering a number of additional exemptions for industry and oil companies. Worse still, DEQ has refused to commit to strong targets for climate pollution reductions through the program, most notably an interim target.

This is not a good start for regulations dubbed the “Climate Protection Program,” but DEQ still has time to course correct. As the champion of Oregon's Climate Action Plan, let’s urge Governor Kate Brown to instruct her regulators to step up to the plate.

To learn more about some of the red flags popping up as the rulemaking kicks off, our friends over at the Environmental Defense Fund offered up some helpful insights in a recent blog post.  The Rulemaking Advisory Committee will continue to meet monthly through June to hammer out the details of the Climate Protection Program and there will be numerous opportunities for public comment along the way.  

DEQ has set up a webpage where all of the rulemaking info will be housed and we’ll continue to keep you posted on how you can help move the ball forward.