OEC works with elected officials, community members, and activists to take immediate action against the biggest driver of climate change: fossil fuel pollution. We focus on lasting solutions to protect our communities and state from the dangerous and costly impacts of extreme disasters, weather, and air pollution. Our climate impacts everything, from food and water to health, homes, and industries. In Oregon, we’re seeing the effects of climate change—devastating wildfires, extreme heat, warming rivers, and severe drought. OEC is committed to reducing climate pollution and creating a more resilient, equitable Oregon for generations.

Oregon scored a major environmental victory. In a unanimous November 2024 vote, the Environmental Quality Commission (ECQ) adopted the newly revised Climate Protection Program, reinstating the landmark policy at a time when climate action is critical. This marks the most significant climate action taken in the wake of the 2024 federal election. Once again, Oregon is on track to cut 90% of carbon emissions by 2050, all while investing millions into communities most affected by climate change. With restored protections in place, Oregonians are ultimately poised to receive tens of millions of dollars to help combat climate change. This victory comes after nearly three years of tireless work from OEC and our partners in the Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice.

Additional Resources:

• 2024 Win: Oregon's Climate Protection Program is Restored!
• OEC and Allies Push Back Against Fossil Fuel Industry in Climate Battle
• Campaign Snapshot: Help Restore Oregon’s Climate Protection Program
• Broad Coalition Backs Governor and DEQ’s Commitment to Rapidly Restore Cornerstone Climate Protection Program

Turning on our lights and running our refrigerators doesn’t have to wreck the climate. Energy efficiency and renewable energy--like wind and solar power--are widely available and ready for much broader use. In 2021, an environmental justice-led coalition that included OEC and rural renewable energy developers, labor representatives, and power companies helped pass 100% Clean Energy for All. Building off previous successes to clean up Oregon’s electricity grid, like ending the use of coal power, 100% Clean Energy for All reestablishes Oregon as a climate leader, tying Oregon with New York for the fastest transition to clean electricity in the country and prohibiting the development of new fossil “natural” gas power plants. This means that by 2040, the electricity grid that brings power to your home or office will transition entirely to clean, renewable sources of power, like solar and wind. By providing direct renewable energy investments in Oregon communities, ramping up near-term demand for clean energy and applying strong labor policies to renewable energy projects, this law will benefit working families and help advance an equitable transition to a clean energy economy in Oregon.

Additional Resources:

• Q&A with Attendees at the 2024 Clean Grid Summit
• Oregon Clean Grid Collaborative: Transforming How Oregon Powers Our Lives
• 2025 Legislative Session

After years of collective advocacy by community organizations, businesses, and individual Oregonians - in March of 2022 Governor Kate Brown made history by taking sweeping executive action (EO 20-04) to address the climate crisis. Citing the scientific, economic and moral imperative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adopting climate mitigation measures, the Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) will ensure that Oregonians across the state benefit from a competitive economy and healthy communities. OCAP directs state agencies to help achieve science-based climate targets-- reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% below 1990 levels by 2035 and at least 80% by 2050--and in doing so, to prioritize and protect our most vulnerable and impacted communities.

Additional Resources:

• Oregon Climate Action Plan

• OCAP Fact Sheet

 

Healthy forests, waters, and agricultural lands are vital to Oregon’s economy, culture, and way of life. They are also an essential piece of the climate puzzle: from how we grow our food to how we manage our forests, the way we use our land has the potential to seal our climate fate. Recognizing the vital role that natural and working lands play in carbon sequestration and climate mitigation, OEC is working to support policies that help landowners and rural communities succeed in a changing climate. For the first time in history, Oregon now has concrete goals and recommendations for advancing carbon sequestration by Oregon's forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands-- positioning the state as the U.S. leader on climate mitigation.

Additional Resources:

• Natural Lands, Natural Climate Solutions
• Oregon Sets New Goals for Carbon Sequestration
• Oregon Climate Action Commission: Natural & Working Lands

 

The way we get around makes a real difference for our health and environment. Cars and trucks are the largest sources of climate pollution in Oregon, responsible for nearly 40 percent of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation pollution not only affects our climate, but also fills our air with harmful toxins. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Cleaner, healthier, more affordable options for getting around exist, and OEC is fighting to make them a reality for people in Oregon. OEC helped pass--and is working with state agencies to expand-- the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, which reduces the carbon intensity of transportation fuels over time by replacing dirty gasoline and diesel with cleaner alternatives. It’s one of the key transportation sector solutions for fighting climate pollution, and has already cut more than 4 million metric tons of climate pollution, equal to taking nearly 800,000 cars off the road per year. We’re also working day in and day out to advance a more equitable transportation system that supports clean air, climate stability, and equitable access to get people where they need and want to go.

Additional Resources:

• Climate Victory! Oregon Clean Fuels Standard Now Strongest in the Nation

• OEC Focus: Transportation