Dear John,

With the Oregon Legislature starting the 2023 session next week, it’s time for all of us to get to work passing strong climate and environmental bills! 

We must continue to build on the victories of the most recent legislative sessions. The way we do that is with the next set of Priorities for a Healthy Oregon––these are bills the 40 organizations in the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) collectively choose to prioritize to make the biggest impacts on climate change, and making Oregon a healthier place for everyone. I hope you’ll join me in asking your state lawmakers to support these bills in the 2023 legislative session.

Here are the 2023 Priorities for a Healthy Oregon:

1) Resilient Buildings Package includes bills to make the buildings we live, work, and learn in more energy efficient, and lower energy bills with the use of electric heating and cooling systems. Oregon’s buildings are the second largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the state behind transportation––it is crucial that the state take action on this! 

2) Natural Climate Solutions Bill - would create a program to help our state sequester as much carbon as possible on our forested and agricultural lands. 

3) The Factory Farm Moratorium - Factory farms wreak havoc on groundwater systems, produce high levels of air pollution, produce methane (a nasty greenhouse gas), and create an inhumane environment for livestock. This bill puts a stop to new or expanded factory farms in Oregon until they are adequately regulated to address water and air quality, and animal welfare issues. 

4) Toxic Free Package - We also need to protect people, especially our children, from toxics. This package includes:

• Toxic Free Kids Act Modernization - Oregon is overdue in updating this historic act to allow more chemicals to be added to it to better protect our children from harmful toxins.
• Toxic Free Cosmetics - this bill would require that personal care product companies publish all the ingredients of their products on their websites, and would require the phasing out of the most toxic chemicals. 
• Toxic Free Schools - would fund the creation of a pesticide tracking system on school grounds and requires transitioning to less or non-toxic alternatives. 

5) Zero Waste Package aims to reduce Oregon’s waste and includes these five bills: 

• Right to Repair - will reduce electronic waste and save people hundreds of dollars a year by allowing them to repair their own electronics. 
• Styrofoam Phase Out - phases out the use of styrofoam in food to-go containers, as well as bans the use of highly carcinogenic PFAS chemicals in food packaging.
• A bill that will require a 25% Reduction of Single Use Packaging in 10 Years.
• Reusable Containers - Updating Oregon law to allow for reusable containers to be used in the bulk section of the supermarket and for eating out. 
• No New Permits for Chemical Recycling Plants - while the name might sound nice, chemical recycling leads to localized air pollution and is not healthy for people or the environment. 

6) Budget! We will fight as we always do for a strong climate budget and for strong Natural Resources agency budgets to make sure our progress is funded. 

It’s an ambitious environmental and climate agenda for 2023, but the historic moment we are in calls for bold action on every front. Each of these priorities moves the dial on environmental justice. Our priorities will help protect people from toxic chemicals and the worst effects of climate change, and help improve people’s lives while also better protecting Oregon’s environment. I hope you will join us in asking your state lawmakers to support the OCN Priorities in the 2023 Session.

Sincerely,

Julia DeGraw

Coalition Director, OLCV