As I wrote about a few weeks ago, corporations have a long and storied history of “crying wolf” when people try to protect themselves from industrial pollution or safety hazards. Business interests also have a history of paying consultants to produce studies that “prove” the wolf is really there. For example, in 2017, Oregon Business … Read more
So we’ve debunked the myths that a polluters-pay program to curb carbon pollution would hurt Oregon’s economy and, in particular, Oregon’s rural residents. Neither of those claims is true; they’re the tired, unfounded bunk we’ve heard over and over from the well-funded special interest actors working hard to block the climate action that Oregonians want—specifically, … Read more
In my last article, I described how making polluters pay for their pollution, contrary to fossil fuel industry whining and myth-telling, in fact would help Oregon’s economy—just as it has helped the economies of other states, provinces, and regions that have demanded that polluting industries do their part to act on climate. A common comeback … Read more
This is an exciting moment for Cascadia, a time when BC has doubled down on its carbon pollution tax, when Oregon and Washington have promising bills moving through legislature, and when state leaders are acting on the clearly expressed climate action wishes of their constituents. It is also an urgent moment, as climate impacts take heavier … Read more
Legislation that would halt the era of polluting for free in Washington State (SB 6203)—a carbon tax—was ushered to the Ways and Means Committee last week. The carbon tax is part of a suite of climate and energy policies, among them Senate Bill 6253, requiring utilities to shift to power from carbon-free sources. The idea … Read more
Soccer players are notorious for dramatizing injuries, writhing on the ground in apparent agony, appealing to the referee to punish the other team for inflicting such pain. Once the ref makes the call, they jump up and run back on the field. Industry players do the same thing every time the public tries to put … Read more
After long years of negotiation, Oregon could be ready to make polluters pay and invest the revenue in the state. But as the legislature convenes for a whirlwind one-month session, a surprising opponent is appearing on stage: Portland General Electric (PGE). PGE, the electric utility serving customers from Portland to Salem, likes to tell people … Read more
Washington’s foresters, fishers, farmers, and farmworkers have become painfully familiar with the impacts of climate chaos while American politicians have spent the decade kicking the climate change can down the road. Last summer, both sides of the state lived and breathed under a blanket of smoke as wildfires forced those effects right into the state’s … Read more
Could 2018 be the year that Oregon and Washington join BC and California and make climate polluters pay? Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, is pushing a carbon tax (more on that soon), and Oregon legislators are again considering legislation to limit carbon pollution and invest in clean energy and other good things. In 2017, … Read more
What a difference an election can make. On September 11, the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) released its four-year budget, revealing that it will increase the province’s carbon tax by $5 per metric ton each year, reaching $50 per metric ton in April 2021. Hallelujah! This exciting change in BC climate policy is thanks … Read more
