| Environmental Principles and Priorities: Global Warming and Energy |
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| Why is this important? What are the key issues? |
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Global warming poses a serious and growing threat to Oregon’s economy, natural resources, forests, rivers, agricultural lands, and coastline. Already Oregon’s snowpack is in decline and the trend continues, which means less water for fish, irrigation and other needs in the summer. As climate warms and becomes more variable, our forests become increasingly susceptible to fires and new forms of disease and pests. Our coastline is eroding and rising sea levels will threaten our coastal communities and road infrastructure with flood events. Developing strategies today to combat global warming, in concert with regional, national and international efforts, will lessen the impacts to Oregon’s natural resources over the coming decades.
At the same time, focusing efforts in Oregon to combat global warming today will create new opportunities for economic development. Oregon is in a position to be a global leader where new companies with technologies to combat global warming choose to locate and manufacture products. Dozens of companies already produce these products throughout Oregon and that number will only increase in the future if we foster this market. Oregon already is the home to one of the largest wind farms in the world, and we will continue to aggressively develop renewable forms of energy that stimulate local investment and do not contribute to global warming. Wind, biofuels, geothermal, and solar resources all are prevalent in Oregon and we will benefit from their increased development within our state.
Global warming touches all parts of our state and provides an opportunity to bridge our rural and urban divide. Energy and crops produced on our agricultural and forest lands can help to power our cities and our vehicles. In the process, jobs and economic growth can be stimulated in both our urban and rural sectors.
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| My Strategies |
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I am working with my fellow governors in Washington and California, with state agencies and the legislature to implement the comprehensive list of recommendations that were developed by my Advisory Group on Global Warming. The Advisory Group met for a year with stakeholders throughout Oregon to develop a report and consensus list of recommendations. Click here to view the full report and recommendations.
Key recommendations that I will implement include:
- Establishing new greenhouse gas reduction goals for the state, namely, arrest the increase of greenhouse gases by 2010; achieve a 10% reduction by 2020; and achieve a 75% reduction by 2050 (there is general consensus in the scientific community that 75% reduction would result in climate stabilization).
- Establishing a task force in 2005 to develop a proposal for how Oregon can adopt higher vehicle emission standards. Cars and light trucks account for 20% of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions and higher emission standards can reduce these emissions by up to 30%. State government must lead by example and, where feasible, state agencies will purchase vehicles that meet the higher vehicle emission standards.
- Establishing a task force in 2005 to develop a carbon dioxide reduction schedule for utilities and other large emitters of carbon dioxide. Utilities and other large stationary emitters of carbon dioxide produce more than half of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions. We must significantly reduce these emissions over time by transitioning to greater amounts of renewable energy. Strategies used to reduce carbon dioxide could include a carbon limit and/or a renewable portfolio standard for utilities.
- Committing Oregon to an aggressive energy savings campaign. Oregon will strive to save roughly 1000 average megawatts of electricity and comparable savings of natural gas and oil over the next 20 years. Energy conservation is the easiest and most cost effective tool we have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 1000 average megawatts equates roughly to the electricity required to serve three cities the size of Eugene. State government must lead by example and will reduce energy use by at least 20% in existing and new state facilities over the next 10 years. All new state buildings will meet at least the equivalent of a LEEDs Silver designation.
- Achieving Oregon's waste generation and recovery goals and taking additional steps to reduce methane emissions from landfills.
- Committing Oregon to an aggressive campaign to increase the amount of renewable electricity and fuel produced and used in the state. I will work with the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), other state agencies and the private sector to implement the key recommendations in my Renewable Energy Action Plan. The Plan was drafted over the past year with significant stakeholder participation. The full plan can be reviewed at http://egov.oregon.gov/ ENERGY/RENEW/RenewPlan.shtml.
Key recommendations that I plan to implement include:
- Increasing the amount of renewable energy retail sales in Oregon by at least 1% per year for the next ten years (meaning at least a 10% increase in 10 years). Large wind projects will serve a large portion of this need, but development of biomass, wave, solar and geothermal projects will also be a priority. State government must lead by example and state agencies will increase their use of renewable energy to at least 25% by 2010.
- Increasing the amount of renewable fuels used in Oregon (ethanol with gasoline and biodiesel with diesel fuels). Oregon will achieve a 10% blend of ethanol and a 5% blend of biodiesel by 2010. State government must lead by example and will reach a 10% level of biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel combined) by 2010.
- Creating a Renewable Energy Working Group to assist in implementation of the recommendations in the Renewable Energy Action Plan and future development or modification of the plan. This group will include representatives from private sector citizens, renewable industry, agriculture, forestry, the Governor’s Office, key state agencies, private and consumer-owned utilities, and others.
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