Dear John,

This week, Portland broke the record for its hottest temperature ever recorded--three days in a row. The 110+ degree temperatures were hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, melt cables on the MAX, and even make roads buckle in the heat. At least 63 people died of heat-related issues, including a farmworker who died while working out in the heat. Scientists have been clear: this dangerous heat wave is not a random occurrence, but a symptom of climate change. Summers like this are only going to become more extreme and more common, unless we take action in time. 

Oregon is ready to do its part--the legislature just passed a historic set of climate bills that will help us transition to 100% clean energy by 2040. But Oregon can’t do it alone: in order to prevent climate change from reaching catastrophic levels, we need the federal government to step up, too. Will you join us in supporting a justice-focused shift to clean energy on the national level?

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are working to transition our country to 100% clean energy through the American Jobs Plan. This plan would get the U.S. off fossil fuels by creating high-paying, union jobs in clean energy. At least 40% of the benefits would go toward the communities most affected by climate change--low-income communities and communities of color--and follow these communities’ leadership in creating a more equitable economy. Will you sign this petition from our partners at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), showing your support for climate action at the federal level?

This combo of clean energy, justice, and jobs is just what the U.S. needs to build back better after the pandemic. I think about the kind of world I’m going to pass on to my son, and I know that we need to take action soon in order to leave a habitable and equitable Earth behind. Time is running out. If the U.S. doesn’t take strong enough action, this summer could be the beginning of many dangerously hot years to come. Please sign the petition for climate action at the federal level today!

Sincerely,

Doug Moore
Executive Director, OLCV