Dear John,

It’s more clear than ever that it’s time to take action on climate change. We just had a summer of deadly heatwaves, extreme wildfires, and prolonged drought. Climate change is here, and it’s already hitting Oregon hard, endangering our health, our safety, and our future. 

We need to be doing all we can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, right now, instead of taking the climate crisis seriously, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is working on a weak climate action plan that’s falling short of what we need to make a difference. We need a bolder, faster-working plan that will reduce our emissions before it’s too late. Take action: submit a comment to the DEQ and urge them to make their climate action plan stronger before the October 4th deadline! 

The DEQ’s climate action plan is part of Governor Brown’s executive order for climate action (now called the Climate Protection Program), which calls on state agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to clean energy. The DEQ’s plan has some good things going for it so far: by placing a cap on emissions, it’ll hold natural gas and oil companies accountable for reducing their pollution over time, and help invest in clean energy projects in communities around the state. But the plan doesn’t work fast enough to cut our emissions in half by the end of the decade--which scientists say is critical in order to address the climate crisis. It also exempts gas-burning power plants from the cap. We need to make sure that large industrial sources of pollution are held accountable. 

The DEQ is accepting public testimony for the draft Climate Protection Program until October 4th. Using our online form, you can easily send in your own testimony and urge the DEQ to strengthen their climate action plan. 

Scientists are calling climate change a code red for humanity. This is our opportunity to make sure Oregon is on track to follow scientist’s recommendations and reduce our emissions in time to make a difference. Please take action today!

Thank you,

Julia DeGraw
Coalition Director, OLCV