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Climate Protection Program: Deadline Extended to 9/27

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Thank you to those who already sent in comments and showed up for a hearing about the Climate Protection Program (CPP)! We have some good news and some bad news to share about the ongoing saga of this important program, which aims to reduce large polluter emissions by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050, and divert millions toward a Community Climate Investment fund for frontline communities.

The good news:

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has extended the comment deadline to Sept. 27 and added a second public hearing on Sept 26! If you didn’t get around to sending in a comment yet or if you weren’t available for the public hearing in August, you have another chance. TAKE ACTION: sign a petition, submit a public comment using this form or by sending your email to CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.Gov, or attend the public hearing on Sept 26, 3:20–5:20pm (find Zoom link here).

The bad news:

Methane (natural) gas and other fossil fuel groups are running a scare campaign riddled with disinformation to try to drive comments opposing this greenhouse gas reducing and equity-focused program.

We need you!

We had a great turnout at the August public hearing, so thank you to those who were able to attend or who already sent in their comments. If you haven’t had a chance to send a comment yet, you can use the templates here—there are three different options at the bottom of the page so you can pick the one that most relates to your circumstance. You can send it as-is, or you can modify it with your personal perspectives and experiences. Or, you can write your own email to CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.Gov.

You can also attend a public hearing with the DEQ and share your comment out loud on Zoom. Here is a testimony toolkit that can help you formulate a public comment. The hearing is on Sept 26, 3:20–5:20pm (find Zoom link here).

Please take a moment today to TAKE ACTION by submitting a public comment by September 27, 2024, at 4pm! With all our voices speaking up together, we can make sure the Climate Protection Program passes (again), and that the important emissions reductions and community benefits can begin in earnest.

Learn more about the CPP

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.

Support the Climate Protection Program…Again

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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

Dozens of climate advocates rallied to support the CPP in 2023

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.