4 results for author: Ben Brint
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 ...