During the 2019 Legislative session, the Oregon State Legislature faied to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Climate Solutions Oregon State Director Meredith Connolly comments:
Every year Oregon fails to take action, our goal of achieving a safe, resilient and pollution-free future does not change, but the curve representing how much we must do and how quickly we must do it gets ever steeper. We will be called to do more, not less, to take responsibility for Oregon’s climbing emissions and transition rapidly away from our dependence on fossil fuels.
We have climate champions in Salem that have been unwavering in their dedication to strong climate action and we stand in partnership with those elected officials who show that steadfast support.
This morning, Governor Brown said, "Doing nothing to reduce emissions is not an option. Not for our economy, our communities, our environment, and of course our children. I am not open to inaction." We agree.
The work is not done. In the words of Tom Petty, we won’t back down. A small minority funded primarily by corporations and fossil-fuel interests broke the rules and almost derailed democracy in our state as they attempted to derail climate progress.
We are losing valuable time to address the climate crisis – to dramatically accelerate our state’s transition to a clean energy economy. We know the climate math; any further delay will require us to pass bigger and bolder policies to close the gap between our current trajectory and a healthy, livable future.
