For several years, Oregon climate activists and sympathetic state legislators promoted comprehensive greenhouse gas proposals known as Cap and Trade or Cap and Invest. These proposals sought to impose a declining cap on statewide emissions of greenhouse gases, while generating pollution proceeds to be invested in clean energy projects statewide, particularly in economically disadvantaged communities.
Legislative cap and invest proposals failed year after year largely as a result of resistance from Republican legislators who thwarted all legislative action by walking out of the legislature to deny a quorum. Finally, in 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-04 charging state agencies with developing programs within their authority that would achieve the goals of the failed legislative proposals. After much resistance from the same forces opposing Cap and Trade, this EO ultimately resulted in the development of a Climate Protection Program (CPP) that placed the state on a meaningful emissions reduction trajectory.
As the CPP has finally been taking effect, the same forces who resisted both past legislative Cap and Trade and the CPP are proposing to reconsider and reintroduce a legislative Cap and Trade proposal that would replace the CPP. Given the source of this proposal, many climate concerned Oregonians are quite skeptical of this effort. However, if such a program allowed Oregon to link with the Washington and California cap and trade programs, this could be beneficial. What are the tradeoffs, and what is the best path forward for Oregon?
Nora Apter, Oregon Director of Climate Solutions, has been deeply engaged in CPP implementation for many years and closely tracking efforts to consider a legislative replacement of the program for some months. Nora will join us via ZOOM at our August monthly meeting to help us understand exactly what is involved and help us decide how we should respond to these discussions.
SOCAN’s next General Meeting will involve Nora Apter discussing the history of cap and invest in Oregon, where the idea for replacing the Climate Protection Program with a legislative framework comes from, how it's progressing, and key considerations and policy parameters.
SOCAN’s general meetings are free and open to the public. There is no charge for attending. More information is available at: https://socan.eco/events/
Guests wishing to view the ZOOM program should contact Alan (alan@socan.eco) for details
This meeting is not sponsored nor endorsed by Jackson County Library Services