democracyLab

Environment Oregon and 1000 Friends are working with a coalition of environmental and other organizations on a comprehensive effort to make Oregon a national leader in solving global warming. We are working actively with Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, as well as other organizations.

Policy Goals
The concept is to establish, by the end of the 2009 legislative session, a comprehensive program for reducing Oregon’s global warming pollution to meet the goals scientists say are necessary. This comprehensive program would include a mandatory cap on carbon emissions and specific policies to meet the cap, potentially including cap-and-trade programs or fee-and-investment based programs.

Along the way, we aim to:
1. Pass legislation in 2008 that lays the groundwork and makes it clear the Legislature wants the state government to prepare policies that they can enact in 2009.
2. Make sure that by the end of the summer of 2008, Oregon agrees to a multi-state global warming pollution reduction program (a cap-and-trade program) with other western states, at least for the electric utilities that make up about 40% of our global warming pollution, and potentially for all sources.
3. Develop a proposal by the end of 2008 for improving Oregon’s transportation infrastructure and land development pattern that is consistent with our global warming pollution reduction goals and helps people be less reliant on cars and trucks. Transportation causes40% of our global warming pollution. While we have made significant progress toward getting better gas mileage in new cars (and more climate-friendly fuels), we also need to reduce the amount of driving that people have to do. Giving Oregonians transportation choices, and building neighborhoods that are safe to walk and bike in and with more destinations in walking and biking distance, are essential if we’re to succeed in making the pollution reductions that are necessary.

Strategic Directions
A few key strategies include:
A. Motivating the governor and legislative champions by generating positive media coverage and grassroots support for our goals and policies.
B. Build a strong and diverse coalition including business organizations, faith leaders, and other “non-traditional” environmental allies. We want to continue the pattern established by the renewable energy debate last year in which good environmental solutions are supported by a range of stakeholders and make sure the stale debate between the economy and the environment remains a thing of the past.
C. Engage Oregonians at the grassroots level in building momentum for global warming solutions.

Contact info:

Jeremiah Baumann
Environment Oregon
Office 503-231-1986 x 310, cell 503-936-3200
jeremiah@EnvironmentOregon.org

Bob Stacey
1000 Friends of Oregon
Office 503-497-1000, cell 503-358-1655
bob@friends.org

Additional Information about the Policy Idea
What is your current strategy for moving this idea forward? What is the general timeline?
Key elements of our strategy are described above. In terms of timeline, a fundamental component of our proposal is that we would use incremental progress during 2008 to build a major base of support for enacting comprehensive global warming solutions in 2009. This will include taking initial steps in the 2008 legislative session, potentially state agency action during the spring and summer of 2008, and development of a western states global warming program in the summer of 2008. These policy actions provide opportunities to engage volunteers and see incremental victories leading up to 2009.

Based on the list of prizes that are available for the winner of this contest, what prizes would you select and how would you put them to use? We would work with our coalition and the Bus Project to decide on the best prizes, but a first-cut would include:
• The Debate Club forum—as a tool to broaden the pool of engaged Oregonians and recruit more volunteers.
• The 50 volunteer phone bank shifts—to engage Oregonians across the state in local events, in contacting elected officials, or in helping generate local media coverage.
• Other media prizes and the lobby day package could also be very useful, but the coalition could have capacity to make these happen and the prizes above would help expand that capacity and engage a wider circle of Oregonians.

Voters in the Progressive Policy Battle Royale commit either money or volunteer time to whichever ideas they support. To which 501c3 organization will such monetary donations go and how will they be used? How will you be able to put volunteers to use and what kinds of tasks will they perform?
Donations would go to the Environment Oregon Research and Policy Center, the 501c3 sister organization of Environment Oregon, which does public education and media work, and mobilizes volunteers. Depending on the specific activities in the campaign, funds could also be shared with 1,000 Friends of Oregon. Volunteers would be engaged in contacted elected officials, building local coalitions (of businesses, community leaders, and other potential allies), and helping to generate local media coverage.

About the Presenting Organizations

Environment Oregon, the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, is a statewide, citizen-based advocacy organization. Our staff combines independent research, practical policy ideas, grassroots organizing, and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for Oregon's environment. Environment Oregon draws on 30 years of success in tackling our state's top environmental problems including recent victories in establishing Oregon’s 25% by 2025 renewable energy standard and passing Measure 49.

1000 Friends of Oregon works with Oregonians to enhance our quality of life by:
• building livable urban and rural communities
• protecting family farms and forests and
• conserving natural and scenic areas.