PRESS RELEASE:
Oregon business, tribal, and labor leaders unite against dangerous oil and gas industry delay tactics, urge state leaders to restore climate protections
More than 50 Oregon business, tribal, labor, public health, consumer advocates, and individual Oregonians testified in support of restoring Oregon’s cornerstone Climate Protection Program (CPP) at an Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) hearing yesterday. The hearing concluded the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) months-long public process of engaging stakeholders across Oregon communities and industries.
EQC Commissioners heard testimony from a diverse group of Oregonians who shared their passionate support for restoring the Climate Protection Program, which was overturned by oil and gas industry lawsuits last December. Labor and business leaders highlighted the economic, job creation, and equity benefits of the Climate Protection Program for Oregon.
Community members voiced concerns about rampant oil and gas industry misinformation and stressed the urgent need for climate action, citing the devastating impacts of climate change on the public health, safety, and economic welfare of Oregonians. The hearing underscored a collective desire from environmental, economic, and climate justice advocates, businesses, Indigenous communities, those from rural areas, and Oregonians who have directly experienced climate impacts to restore the Climate Protection Program without delaying or weakening it. Meanwhile, oil and gas industry groups, who have a track record of leading walkouts in the Oregon Legislature to thwart similar programs, continued their misguided efforts to delay climate action during the hearing even though they were greatly outnumbered.
“DEQ has made improvements that strike an important balance – driving down emissions and advancing equity while addressing the key concerns of regulated industries. The more we can move toward zero-emission technologies, the less Oregon families and businesses have to worry about oil and gas prices being dictated half a world away. Electrification and cleaner ways of doing business exist right here in Oregon. The CPP will help us deploy these technologies at scale.”
- Tim Miller, Executive Director, Oregon Business for Climate
The CPP is a cornerstone of Oregon’s climate action, responsible for achieving nearly half of the state’s emission reduction goals.
“In spite of pledges to reduce their climate pollution, the oil and gas industry’s ruthless tactics have led to decades of climate inaction. Their efforts to overturn and delay the cornerstone Climate Protection Program have cost us precious time in the decisive decade for climate action– not to mention scarce state resources and Oregon taxpayer dollars.
Without a strong Climate Protection Program, Oregon will fail to achieve its climate goals. We will fail to deliver justice for Oregon’s rural, low-income, tribal, and communities of color, who continue to bear the brunt of climate devastation and economic disinvestment. And we will fail to capture Oregon’s share of the job creation and investment benefits presented by the global transition to a clean energy future.”
- Nora Apter, Director of Programs for the Oregon Environmental Council
In addition, the CPP could provide ~$150M annually for investments in communities who experience climate change impacts like extreme weather first and worst.
“This program isn’t designed to benefit companies who have been polluting in our communities for decades. We’re putting this program in place because these companies have proven time and time again that they aren’t interested in meaningfully transitioning to cleaner energy. This program is supposed to require those businesses to reduce their emissions and pay their fair share. This program is about beginning to right decades of wrongs by big polluters, and ensuring Oregonians have what they need as climate change impacts continue to worsen.”
- Ira Cuello-Martinez, Climate Policy Associate, PCUN
The Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice is a diverse group of more than 50 environmental, economic, and climate justice advocates, businesses, and Indigenous communities dedicated to achieving an equitable, clean energy future here in Oregon. The coalition believes in a future where Oregonians are protected from the impacts of climate change and are centered on solutions because our communities deserve to enjoy a clean and safe environment.
