The science is clear: human-caused climate disruption is one of the gravest threats to health and survival currently facing our world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that we have less than 12 years to take drastic action to avert the most catastrophic climate disruption scenarios. Oregon communities are already feeling the health impacts of climate change, and those who contributed least to the problem — babies, those living with chronic disease, working class folks, people of color, tribal nations, and rural communities — face its impacts first and worst.
That’s why it’s vitally important that Oregon lawmakers take bold action now. The 2019 draft “Clean Energy Jobs” or “Cap and Invest” bill (House Bill 2020) is open for comment until this Friday, March 8th. This bill must be strengthened in order to be an effective tool in decreasing dangerous emissions and protecting the health of Oregon communities. See our proposed changes to HB 2020.
Take Action: Send your comments to the Joint Carbon Reduction Committee by Friday, March 8th at 5:00 PM and strongly encourage them to improve HB 2020. Feel free to use our talking points. Legislators will likely ignore ‘canned’ comments on this bill, so your unique comment, even if very short, has extremely high value and shows your commitment to protecting our climate and our communities.
Also, take a listen to our Clean Energy Organizer, Damon Motz-Storey, and Dr. Pat Delaquil of 350 PDX on this week’s episode of KBOO’s Locus Focus. This 50-minute show provides valuable information on HB 2020 and demonstrates why we must take bold action now.