350PDX: Climate Justice
  • Take Action!
    • Things to do right now
    • Volunteer
    • Trainings
    • Join the mailing list
    • Endorsement Requests
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • What is Climate Justice?
    • Key Accomplishments
    • Leadership and Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Financial Transparency
    • Contact Us
  • Teams & Campaigns
    • Fossil Fuel Resistance
    • Defund / Divest
    • Forest Defense
    • Solidarity
    • City / County Watchdog Team
    • Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)
    • Creative Team
  • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu

Update on the Clean Energy Jobs Bill (April 2018)

April 4, 2018/in Announcements /by Guest Author

Please join us for our next meeting of the State Legislation Team to build on our successful strategy to ensure all Portland area legislators are climate champions. We will meet Tuesday, April 24 from 7 – 9pm (gathering and socializing starts at 6:30) at the Central Lutheran Church, 1820 NE 21st Ave, in the Fellowship Hall. If you haven’t been involved in the past, please join us now to help move the Clean Energy Jobs bill over the finish line!

The short 2018 Legislative session is over. While the Clean Energy Jobs bill (CEJ) did not pass, we made tremendous progress. We are in the best position yet since we started working on putting a price on “carbon” in Oregon several years ago. Most importantly, the Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek, and President of the Senate, Peter Courtney, have created a Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, which they will co-chair (and yes, the legislation will continue to address all greenhouse gases). In addition, money has been directed to hire four state employees and fund studies in preparation for passing the CEJ bill in 2019 and then implementing it fully in 2021. We are in a position to put the program in place as originally planned had the bill passed this year. This is fantastic news.

Our biggest thanks go to Senator Dembrow and Representative Helm for their extraordinary efforts over the past year to move the Clean Energy Jobs bill ever closer to the finish line. Phone calls and emails expressing your appreciation of their work will be greatly appreciated and are much deserved.

Here’s a quote from Senator Dembrow: “The 2018 Legislative Session generated the kind of grassroots support we’ve been dreaming of for years. We had another incredible round of hearings early in the session with an enormous amount of outside advocacy, including more than 500 Oregonians from all over the state descending on the Capitol for a lobby day on February 12.” 350PDX and our many allies across the state were those behind that “grassroots support.” After that February 12 rally, activists met with almost all Oregon legislators that afternoon, urging them to pass the CEJ. We now understand that a majority of members in both the House and Senate have pledged their support for passing the CEJ in 2019.

But have no doubt, the opponents of CEJ in the fossil fuel and other industries are ramping up their efforts to defeat or weaken the bill, so we’ll need to keep up our pressure to strengthen and pass it.

Lastly, we’ll conclude with another quote from Senator Dembrow, that summarizes our sense of where things now stand: “We leave this session feeling reassured and optimistic that a year from now legislation will be passed that will create a climate-action program to cap emissions, price carbon, and begin to make serious investments in a cleaner economy.”

But, of course, this will happen only if we make it happen!

Rand and Rick
Capping Carbon Campaign Co-Leads


Written by: Rand Schenck and Rick Brown

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

More from 350PDX

  • Activist News Roundup
  • Announcements
  • Climate Heroes
  • Climate Odyssey
  • Climate Science
  • Divestment
  • Editorial
  • Fossil Fuel Resistence
  • Just Transition
  • Pipe Dreams

Galleries

  • Peoples Climate March 2017May 1, 2017 - 10:18 pm
  • FFP-Code Nov 10 Rally and HearingNovember 16, 2016 - 3:23 pm
  • Lincoln High Visits City HallNovember 4, 2016 - 11:10 pm
  • Sept 25 – No DAPL RallySeptember 26, 2016 - 12:33 pm
  • FFP Code Rally and HearingSeptember 19, 2016 - 1:32 pm
  • Metro DivestsAugust 1, 2016 - 11:32 am
  • Oil Train Flash MobJuly 23, 2016 - 1:57 pm
  • Vancouver Fossil Fuel Resolution RallyJuly 21, 2016 - 12:36 pm
  • SW Team PicnicJuly 20, 2016 - 1:30 pm
  • Fossil Fuel Policy Breakfast Rally – 7-13-16July 14, 2016 - 10:01 am
  • Don’t Shoot PDX March – 7.13.16July 13, 2016 - 11:40 pm
  • 47 Lives of Lac-Megantic – We RememberJuly 8, 2016 - 2:36 pm

Search

Sitemap
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2022 350PDX.ORG ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Giving Options
  • Become a sustaining or one-time donor

Follow us on social media!

facebook logo twitter logo instagram logo
Contact

Mailing address: 3625 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227

Office Phone: (503) 281-1485

General Inquiries: info@350pdx.org

Portland Ballot Initiative Officially Filed! The Reluctant Radical – A Journey of Climate Activism
Scroll to top