This month’s wildfires have visited horrible harm on Oregon. We need to commit to doing all we can to prevent tragedies like these from occurring in the future.

 

The evidence of this challenge is apparent for all of us to recognize: Summers in Oregon are trending hotter and drier. In two weeks, the recent wildfires consumed five times the number of acres that burned in the average year just a decade or two ago. In other parts of our country, devastating storms — including the derecho that tore through Iowa and the midwest (yes, that name is new to me, too)  — and hurricanes are growing stronger and more frequent.

 

The science is clear on why this is happening: climate change. The human stakes are just as clear: If we do nothing to stop and reverse climate change, once-in-a-generation disasters will become annual — or more frequent — threats. The time for action is now.

 

As you all know, the Republicans in Washington D.C., are in abject denial. President Trump has called climate change a “hoax” and refused to admit its connection to extreme weather, even as our West Coast burns. We can’t let them win.

 

This November, let’s make sure we elect bold, progressive fighters who will work to combat climate change -- will you help us out today with a donation of $25 or whatever you can afford?

 

It would be bad enough if these “climate arsonists,” as Joe Biden aptly calls them, were just blocking critical progress. But they also continue to assault environmental protections and open doors for polluters at a staggering pace.

 

Fortunately, we still have laws in place that we can use to stop them. In just the past two weeks, I have taken action (1) to block the federal  administration from opening Alaska’s pristine Arctic Refuge to oil and gas drilling and (2) to prevent them from rolling back methane emission standards. In both cases, the President was neglecting potentially dire consequences for our planet, and in both cases he was acting in violation of the law.

 

In the past three-and-one-half years, along with my Democratic AG colleagues, I have fought back against the Trump Administration’s damaging rollbacks of environmental regulations and attempts to impose new harmful regulations in their place. On behalf of Oregon, I have taken nearly 200 actions to protect our environment.

 

I will always stand with Oregonians over fossil fuel companies looking to profit at our expense. Oregonians deserve solutions that lower greenhouse gas emissions. Our children and grandchildren deserve a future.