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Everything Oregon Legislators Need To Know About Stopping Climate Pollution
A Washington state solar installer, with a panel. by Washington Environmental Council (Used with permission.)
Quick! You have seven minutes to tell Oregon legislators everything they need to know about stopping climate pollution. . . GO! That was my task last week when testifying at an Oregon Senate informational hearing about two bills that would stop the free lunch for climate polluters in Oregon—see the video of my testimony below. Senate Bill 965 is a cap-and-dividend bill that would give all the revenue back to...Read more » -
Weekend Reading 6/12/15
Serena In case you missed this in Tuesday’s Sightline Daily news picks (which you can get delivered fresh to your inbox each morning if you like!), check out this fascinating article on what makes an environmentalist. Chris Mooney writes up the top factors, which include having an “open” personality, having high levels of empathy, and—according to newly published research—spending more time with your neighbors. “The implications of the research, the...Read more » -
Myths and Facts about Capping Climate Change Pollution
Author’s note: Some folks in the Oregon legislature have been fretting about falsehoods lately. I wrote this up to help inform a hearing on climate bills in Salem on April 14th. Oregonians are already paying for climate change, through damaged shellfish, lost snowpack, and increased wildfires. Climate models predict that, without urgent action, the Oregon drought could morph into something like the California mega-drought. It’s time to act. Don’t let...Read more » -
Oregon has a climate law implementation question. HB 3470 has an answer.
Most parents are familiar with the slight panic of not knowing if you really have a way to enforce a rule you made for your kids. You’ve been clear that it is not OK to chew gum at the dinner table, but now what? Reach in his mouth and pull the gum out? Carry him to his room? Stop dinner until he complies? Oregon is facing a similar dilemma: the...Read more » -
Four Charts Show Carbon Pollution Accountability Act is Still Awesome
As the Carbon Pollution Accountability Act, now HB 1314, wends its way through committee hearings, new economic analysis and revised revenue estimates are popping up. It’s still the same pollution-cutting, clean-energy-spurring bill you know and love, but the new numbers show it will send even more money to Washington public schools, and it will also grow jobs. Less pollution, more clean energy, better schools, and more jobs. I think that...Read more » -
Latino Catholics Lead Their Faith on Climate
If you’re on Facebook or have spent any time somewhere within a half-mile radius of a progressive-minded Catholic lately, you’ll know that The Super Pope (a.k.a. Pope Francis) has been outspoken about the fact that humans are causing global warming and his belief that Christians have a duty rooted in “ancient biblical teaching” to curb climate change. He is also expected to issue a papal encyclical on global warming this...Read more » -
10 Key Takeaways from BC’s Polluters-Pay Model
British Columbia has a world-class carbon tax. Its been working for almost 7 years, cutting pollution and pumping money into other parts of the economy, like the pockets of businesses and households who now pay lower taxes. Jealous decision-makers down here in Oregon and Washington might be asking “Yes, but how how did they start taxing pollution and helping businesses and residents? How did they do it?” Clean Energy Canada set...Read more » -
Latinos and Republicans Favor Climate Action?
There are at least two misconceptions that have proved tough to shake when it comes to the politics of advancing climate solutions in the US: One is that Latinos don’t prioritize the environment or global warming. The other is that all—or at least most—Republicans are solidly united against climate action. In fact, relative to other American voters, Latinos are actually among the most concerned about the environment, and in particular...Read more » -
Event: Putting a Price on Carbon
This Thursday, join our executive director Alan Durning to discuss carbon pricing in Washington. This roundtable will explore several different approaches for “putting a price” on climate pollution and explore how counties and cities can directly engage on and benefit from what can seem like a complex solution. The roundtable will also showcase King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks Beyond Carbon Neutral Commitment through the lens of its Carbon and Energy Investment...Read more » -
How Tesoro Manipulates Washington State Politics
The Texas oil company Tesoro has big plans for Washington. Long an operator of a refinery near Anacortes, Tesoro recently unveiled plans for the biggest oil-by-rail facility in the US on the Columbia River at Vancouver. The scheme, which was become a lightning rod in the region, has already run into severe delays and cost increases and the company is scrambling to re-brand its proposal. In a recent interview with...Read more »