8 results for author: Ben Brint

Defending the CPP (Again): The Program, the Lawsuit, and the Road Ahead

It might feel like a nightmarish bout of déjà vu, but it’s all too real: The Climate Protection Program is once again under attack. Last month, Oregon Business & Industry brought forward a new lawsuit challenging the state’s authority to implement the landmark Climate Protection Program (CPP). Their case follows a familiar playbook that we’ve seen time and time again by the fossil fuel industry – namely, leaning into disinformation to put corporate profit over the health and livelihood of ordinary Oregonians. OEC, and a strong coalition of statewide partners, stand in firm opposition to the lawsuit. This isn’t the first time the ...

New Rules Protect Oregonians From Data Center-Caused Rate Increases

In a landmark moment for Oregon ratepayers, last week the Oregon Public Utility Commission enacted new rules protecting Portland General Electric (PGE) customers from rate increases stemming from data centers. Represented by Green Energy Institute, OEC joined other consumer advocates to influence this decision. By creating a new customer category for data centers, PGE can now more accurately track their energy usage and charge them accordingly. The new rules put guardrails in place for data centers like contract limits, penalties for going over energy use thresholds, and greater transparency in their reporting — preventing this skyrocketing ...

Trump’s Reckless Deregulation: What the Endangerment Finding Repeal Means for Oregon

On February 12, 2026, the Trump Administration irresponsibly and cynically sidelined federal climate protections. Standing alongside EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin at the Roosevelt Room podium, Trump formally repealed the endangerment finding – the scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health. The endangerment finding is the legal basis for the Clean Air Act, and for the U.S. government to regulate pollution that harms communities and accelerates climate change. Simply put, the move is one of the most reckless deregulatory acts in U.S. history, driven by the type of climate denialism that’s hard to fathom in 2026. ...

Upgrade & Save and Community-Based Power — Explained

One of our biggest climate priorities this legislative session is making the biggest polluters pay for the damage they’ve caused in our state. While the climate impacts of everyday people pale in comparison to major oil and gas corporations, individual action still matters. Switching to clean energy at home saves you money on utility bills, reduces your carbon footprint, and even bolsters the electric grid (more on that below). The problem is, clean energy upgrades are still out of reach for many Oregonians. That has to change. Clean energy upgrades are crucial for both easing the pain of the affordability crisis affecting thousands across the ...

What Governor Kotek’s Executive Order Rollout Means for Oregon

In the face of federal disinvestment and attacks on landmark climate protections, Governor Tina Kotek is ensuring that Oregon continues to build a healthier, more affordable, equitable, and resilient future.  Over the last two months, Governor Kotek has rolled out three new executive orders aimed at accelerating clean energy development, protecting our state’s land and water, and implementing least-cost solutions to decarbonize our energy and transportation systems. With mounting challenges from the federal level, these orders are a display of bold action in the face of adversity – which is exactly the type of leadership our state needs right ...

Joining Oregon’s Climate Advocates in Washington DC

This month, I joined a Climate Action Campaign advocacy trip to DC—my first time participating in this critical work since the coalition began organizing these efforts 13 years ago. This "big green" coalition has real influence, having helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, and brings together advocates from across the country to push for federal climate action. Together, our mission was clear: Fully fund federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in upcoming budget appropriations Push back against the Trump ...

Mixed Results on Climate in 2025: Energy Affordability Advances While Climate Action Stalls

The 2025 Oregon Legislative session delivered a tale of two climate stories. While lawmakers made meaningful progress on energy affordability and grid modernization, they failed to advance policies that would actually cut climate pollution—and worse, abandoned funding for programs that help Oregonians survive increasingly dangerous extreme weather. The Good: Making Energy More Affordable and Reliable This session saw several wins for energy justice and grid reliability. The POWER Act (HB 3546) finally tackles the problem of massive energy users like cryptocurrency operations and data centers driving up costs for everyone else. Now these large-sc...

You Can’t Put a Price on Saving Lives

Oregon state lawmakers are entering the final weeks of the legislative session. As our elected officials make tough decisions about what bills will pass or die this session, one thing is clear: there’s not enough money to go around. Against this budget-constrained backdrop, already this month Oregon has already faced a heatwave, wildfires, and a smog warning. People across our state need home cooling, clean air, and energy security. These aren’t luxuries. They’re life-saving essentials in the face of extreme climate events. Only four years ago, a heat dome claimed the lives of hundreds of Oregonians, many of them elders, living alone ...