As I wrote a little while back, we Cascadian Climateers here in the Pacific Northwest just wrapped up two weeks of kick-ass climate action. Since our two weeks of action wrapped up with Cascade POWER SHIFT and Cascade Climate Network Citizen Action Lobby Days on February 11th, we’ve already seen two big victories (yay!) and one disappointing setback (boo…). Here’s the summary on the policy front:
-Oregon’s Governor Tells Feds to Put Brakes on LNG Development!
Governor Kulongoski calls for a halt in the permitting of proposed LNG terminals until an independent study examines the need for new natural gas supplies in Oregon and determines the global warming impact of LNG importation!
-Washington Climate Bills Pass House of Origin, on the Way to Final Passage!
The Washington House and Senate both passed climate change bills on Tuesday that were supported by the Cascade Climate Network. The bills are now heading to the opposite chamber, where they are expected to win passage and be signed into law.
-Oregon Climate Bill Stalls, May Die This Session…
Hyped-up industry opposition may prove enough to scuttle a climate bill in the Oregon legislature during the short, first-of-its-kind Oregon special session. The bill passed the House Energy and Environment Committee but may not see a floor vote before the short session ends.
More below…
Oregon Governor Tells Feds to Put Brakes on LNG Development! Secretary of State calls LNG development “insane” for Oregon.
At Focus the Nation events on January 31st, at a huge rally with other Oregon citizens on February 6th that gathered attention from media and politicians alike and again at Oregon Lobby Day on February 11th, Cascade Climate Network members have said loud and clear “No LNG for Oregon!” We’ve taken to the streets and engaged directly and effectively with our elected officials, including Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and State Treasurer Randall Edwards. And we’re winning!
-At a Focus the Nation event at Pacific University, and again at the anti-LNG rally in Salem, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury came out strongly opposed to LNG for Oregon, calling it “a dirty fuel” and saying it would be “insane” to increase our dependence on foreign fossil fuels. You can hear Bill Bradbury and Oregon Speaker of the House (and US Senate candidate) Jeff Merkley speak on LNG at the Feb 6th rally in this video clip:
-Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is changing his tune on LNG too!
After giving a forceful defense of his “open-minded” approach to LNG for Oregon at the huge Focus the Nation event at the University of Portland on January 31st, Kulongoski met with boos form thousands of people on live radio, was pressured by hundreds of citizens on Feb 6th, and heard directly from Cascade Climate Network members on Feb 11th.
On February 14th, Kulongoski adopted a new position: while saying he is still not “unalterably opposed” to LNG for Oregon, the Governor sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission calling on them to halt the permitting of three proposed LNG terminals until an independent assessment of the global warming impacts of LNG importation and the need for new natural gas supplies in the region is completed.
The Governor also directed Attorney General Hardy Meyers to determine that state’s authority to halt the permitting process and asked Oregon’s congressional delegation to repeal the section of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that granted near-exclusive gas project siting authority to the federal government.
While he’s not flat out opposed to LNG, the Governor is now taking a much more cautious and approach to the proposed terminals and pipelines and his new position should help slow the headlong rush towards the authorization of new LNG import facilities.
You can find more about the Governor’s evolving position (including his letter to FERC) and the rest of “the LNG saga” at: http://blog.oregonlive.com/hillsboroargus/pipeline/
Washington’s Climate Bills Pass House of Origin, on the Way to Final Passage!
The Washington House and Senate each passed climate bills on Tuesday, just ahead of legislative deadlines for all bills to leave their house of origin. The House passed House Bill 2815, with a 64-31 vote on Tuesday. The bill, which we lobbied to support on Washington Lobby Day, lays the important groundwork for statewide action to tackle climate change. The bill:
- Require the state to meet greenhouse-gas reduction goals set last year.
- Give the state Ecology Department the authority to require the largest producers of greenhouse gases to report their emissions beginning in 2010.
- Instruct Ecology to come back to lawmakers later this year with the state’s part of the Western Climate Initiative’s plan for reducing carbon dioxide release (likely some form of “cap and trade”).
- Create an initiative for increasing the number of clean-energy jobs through job training.
- Set statewide goals for cutting the amount of miles driven per person.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where passage is expected! You can find more at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/351926_climate20.html
The Senate also passed a companion bill that would incorporate climate concerns into land use planning on Tuesday. The bill would require long-term county land use plans to take into account the plan’s effects on greenhouse gas emissions and encourage smart land use and community development to help reduce emissions. It is also expected to win passage in the House.
Oregon Climate Bill Stalls, May Die This Session
Proving that you can’t win ‘em all, Oregon’s modest climate bill is not faring as well as it’s Washington counterpart. Largely falling victim to Oregon’s super-short “special session” this year, the bill has stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee and will probably not see a floor vote before the session ends, perhaps as early as tomorrow.
Oregon’s bill, House BIll 3610, would gather important information that would prepare the state for major climate action in the regular 2009 session. The bill would give the state Department of Environmental Quality authority to require reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and direct state agencies to report back by October 2008 on options to help the state achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals passed last year.
Despite it’s modest nature, the bill met with strong opposition from just about every industry group you could think off, from chemicals to metals to agriculture, but the leading culprits were the high tech and pulp and paper industry members of the Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities lobby group. Opponents of the bill included Intel and Weyerhauser, two industry giants who have made very public greenwashing efforts touting their commitment to climate change…
Oregon’s first-of-its-kind, month-long special session made “controversial” bills very difficult to pass, something the industry opponents used to their advantage, kicking up a storm of hyped-up opposition that seems to have scared off enough House members to keep the bill from the floor this year.
After Cascade Climate Network members delivered forceful testimony at Oregon’s House Energy and Environment Committee Hearing and lobbied our legislators on February 11th, the committee passed House Bill 3610 on February 13th, but along party lines. All three committee Republicans, including Representative Chuck Burley of Bend, voted no. Burley explained his vote by spouted flimsy rationales straight from the industry opponents’ playbook, despite a strong rebuttal from our climate champion, Rep Ben Cannon (D-Portland).
After passing out of the Energy and Environment Committee, the bill moved to the House Ways and Means Committee where it currently sitting, but it now seems unlikely to see a floor vote before the end of this short session. Three House Democrats have “defected” and said they would vote no on the bill – Mike Schaufler (D-Happy Valley), Brian Clem (D-Salem), and Debbie Boone (D-Cannon Beach) – and House Republicans have “locked down” in opposition to the bill. Without their support, House Leadership does not want to bring the bill to the floor for a loss. Barring a major 11th hour change, the bill will likely stay in Ways and Means until the session ends and it dies a slow death.
Next Steps…
We’ve made some major progress in Washington and on the LNG front this year! These big victories move the ball forward and we should build on our gathering momentum to stop new fossil fuel developments in our region and get our states on the path to a carbon neutral/climate positive future!
Clearly, we’ve still got work to do in the Oregon legislature! But we’ve made a huge start. We’ve introduced ourselves to the Oregon Legislature and earned props from our climate champions for supporting HB 3610 – House Energy and Environment Chair Jackie Dingfelder and Vice Chair Ben Cannon both told me on the 13th that they were very grateful that we showed up to support the bill and delivered strong testimony that “shook things up” in the committee! We’ve also raised the profile of climate change with our legislators and now have confirmation of who the entrenched opponents are to the bill as well as who we may be able to cultivate as allies and champions.
We’ve now got the next 10 months to prepare for the 2009 session, when the climate will be front and center, both in Oregon and Washington. It’s time to figure out how to urge our state reps to be climate champions.
We should also think about ways to highlight Intel and Weyerhauser’s irresponsible role in blocking climate legislation and the inconsistencies between their public greenwashing and their opposition to legislative action. If we can neutralize one or both of these companies, it could be a huge help in overcoming the industry opposition we should expect and prepare for in 2009.
And of course, with 2008 being a big election year, we should do our best to make sure that 2009 sees new climate champions join the ranks of both state’s legislatures!
That’s the report from the Northwest policy front. Great work Climateers!
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