Support the Climate Protection Program…Again

Those with long memories may recall that we advocated for the passage of the Climate Protection Program (CPP) in 2021, and won! It was supposed to go into effect through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in 2022, requiring oil and gas companies to cut their pollution 35% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. Unfortunately, some of the oil and gas companies being regulated sued to overturn the CPP on a technicality. As part of the Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice (CCEJ), we are now working to restore the CPP to at least maintain, if not strengthen, the rules established to cut our climate pollution and invest in Oregon’s most impacted communities.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is holding a public comment period from now through September 27, 2024. Here are some ways you can speak up to ensure this important program is reinstated:

• Sign this petition
• DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 9/27: Submit a public comment using this form by September 27, 2024 at 4pm. You can use the suggested text or write your own. Note that there are three sample emails with a focus on wildfires and climate change, public health, and equity, so you can pick the topic that relates most to you and add your own specific story and concerns. You can also email your own public comment to: CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.Gov
• Attend the DEQ public testimony hearing on August 21, 4pm, via Zoom, find the link to join here; ANOTHER HEARING HAS BEEN ADDED ON SEPT 26, 3:20–5:30PM
  • Attend virtually or in person to show support (700 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, OR 97232, 3rd floor conference room)
  • If you’d like, you can register to testify once you arrive on Zoom

When re-implemented, the Climate Protection Program will:

• Require oil and gas companies to cut their pollution 35% by 2035 and 90% by 2050;
• Create approximately $150 million annually to reinvest in Oregon’s most impacted communities;
• Help Oregon residents on the front lines of the climate crisis better access:
  • Energy-efficient appliances that keep their home air cleaner and less reliant on oil,
  • Heating and air conditioning to withstand harmful extreme temperatures,
  • Electrified public transit fleet to cut gas pollution, and
  • Other building upgrades that align with efficiency and harm reduction goals.

Without your voice advocating for the reinstatement of the CPP, oil and gas companies may get their way and use this opportunity to weaken this program’s ambitious emissions reduction goals and community investments. Take action today to ensure the CPP will continue to clean Oregon’s air and invest in Oregon’s people.