Oregon adopts controversial plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; will start in January

Oregon policymakers have approved the state’s Climate Protection Plan, which aims to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants emitted in the state.

The controversial plan could increase the price of fuel and consumer goods in Oregon. But state officials say it will pay off in better health for residents and will speed the switch to less-polluting fuels.

Oregon now is the second state in the nation to set enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, following California.

“This is a major victory for environmental, climate justice and public health advocates, in addition to everyone and everything who breathes Oregon's air,” Meredith Connolly, Oregon Director for the nonprofit Climate Solutions, said.

The complicated program, which will begin next month, was developed in 18 months.

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In March 2020, Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order directing the state Department of Environmental Quality to develop the plan, using its existing authority. The order came after Republicans twice blocked cap-and-invest legislation, in 2019 and 2020, by leaving the Capitol to avoid a vote.

The Environmental Quality Commission, a policymaking board for DEQ, voted 3-1 to approve the plan Thursday.

Plan regulates natural gas, other fuel suppliers

The new plan has two sets of regulations.

One is for Oregon’s three natural gas utilities and other fuel suppliers.

They must reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their products by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. Those unable to meet the targets can instead pay into a new Community Climate Investment fund.

The state will channel that money into programs that support reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in communities most impacted by climate change.

The other is for about a dozen stationary polluters.

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Stationary sources will be required to prove they are using “best available emission reduction," or BAER, technologies.

The BAER approach doesn’t have set targets. But companies will be expected to reduce climate pollution by half by 2035, DEQ officials said.

More than 7,600 comments given on plan

DEQ received 7,620 comments on the proposed plan.

EQC Commissioner Greg Addington voted against the plan after arguing it should include provisions for meeting targets through carbon sequestration, or changing land use and agricultural processes to keep carbon out of the atmosphere.

Other commissioners said they wanted the Climate Protection Plan to focus on actually reducing emissions, not making up for emissions in other ways. But they agreed to separately consider a carbon sequestration program in the future.

Brown praised the commission’s action.

“Every year since I became governor, Oregon’s extreme weather has been worse than the last,” she said. “From extreme heat and chronic drought to rising sea levels to wildfires more intense than any in recent memory, we are seeing the devastating impacts of climate change right in front of us.

“We know those impacts are felt disproportionately by our rural, low-income and communities of color. I’m proud that today, Oregon is taking the historic step to put tools in place to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.

The new program is just a part of the state's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other pieces include the Clean Fuels Program, incentives for electric vehicles and energy efficiency programs.

Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon adopts plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions