Hi John,

We’re now at week 3 of the Republican-led Senate walkout, and earlier today, Senate Republican leader Tim Knopp announced that the Republican senators participating in the walkout will return on the last day of session–just to pass what they want. They are going against the will and interests of Oregonians for their personal agenda, and that is not acceptable. If you have a Republican state senator, will you write to them today urging them to return to work and do their jobs? And if you have a Democratic state senator, urge them to stay strong and get these climate action bills across the finish line. Because Oregon can’t wait.

In Portland, we’re living through a record-breaking May right now. This month, we experienced the most days above 90 degrees compared to other Mays, and it’s following one of the coldest Aprils on record. In central and eastern Oregon, we’ve been living with drought conditions for years. In January, Crook County declared yet another drought emergency. We all know that extreme and abnormal temperatures are a telltale sign of climate change. We’ve been experiencing it for years. We’ve also seen the insane wildfires devour our homes and land throughout the state.

Some of our lawmakers have worked tirelessly this session to help us fight against climate harms and pass bold climate action bills, such as the Resilient, Efficient Buildings package (SB 868-871). These bills would help Oregonians access heat pumps for efficient heating and cooling. And, they would set us up to bring our home state millions of federal dollars available through President Biden’s Affordable Clean Energy Plan. 

The Republican-led Senate walkout is jeopardizing all of this work and hurting Oregonians, including their constituents. Every day they spend receiving a paid vacation diminishes our chances of securing federal funding--millions of dollars--that would help us fight climate change and better protect the people of Oregon from its devastating impacts. We can’t wait for climate action. There’s too much on the line: lives have been lost, our water supply is dwindling, and we’re about to wave goodbye to millions of federal dollars up for grabs. All because some Republican senators decided to walk out on their jobs. 

Write to your state senator today urging them to do everything they can, whether that’s coming back to work to do their jobs or staying strong against demands. We cannot wait another day.

In partnership,

Julia DeGraw

Coalition Director, OLCV