Support CUB’s Work for a Decarbonized Future on This 9th Annual Giving Tuesday
Posted on December 1, 2020 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Energy, General Interest
Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity that brings communities together to support charitable causes of all kinds. In observance of this occasion, we invite you to consider making a donation to CUB to support our work on implementation of Governor Brown’s Executive Order on Climate Action (EO 20-04).
With all the ups and downs of 2020, EO 20-04 is a positive step forward on Oregon’s path addressing climate change. The Order sets science-based goals to achieve economy wide decarbonization. CUB will be advocating during implementation of this order, working with state agencies and other stakeholders to enact programs that are strong and equitably constructed.
Issued last March, after a legislative walkout by opponents of a climate change bill, EO 20-04 directs all state agencies to develop and implement actions to meet state goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2035 and 80 percent by 2050. Agencies must also address equity, energy burden, and other detrimental and unequal effects of climate change already impacting Oregon communities.
CUB’s input on the failed climate change legislation informed the drafting of EO 20-04. We will continue our policy development and advocacy work as the Order rolls out, especially with the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). CUB will closely coordinate with groups directly affected by issues of inequity during the implementation process.
The first step last spring was for each agency to prepare an EO 20-04 report. The PUC’s report focused on three themes: greenhouse gas reduction activities, impacted communities, and wildfire prevention and mitigation. Utility planning plays a major role in greenhouse gas reduction by focusing on reforms to the Integrated Resource Planning process. By considering the social effects of carbon emissions and climate change (measured as the Social Cost of Carbon or SCC), the PUC will work within existing rules and regulations while still reducing emissions from energy production.
More recently, the PUC issued work plans that CUB is diligently tracking, with an emphasis on advocating for our residential customer protection analysis with the PUC and other stakeholders.
EO 20-04 also offers a significant opportunity for collaboration between agencies. DEQ and PUC, for example, will work together on both transportation issues and a Cap and Reduce program. Both agencies are tasked with expanding the Clean Fuels Program, which began in 2016 to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases created from fuels throughout their life cycle, from production through consumption. The agencies are also coordinating around DEQ’s Cap and Reduce program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Another major point of coordination will be to lower the energy burden on low-income consumers, especially natural gas customers.
The 2020 CUB Energy Policy Conference featured EO 20-04 agency collaboration with a panel discussion between Richard Whitman and Janine Benner, Executive Directors of DEQ and the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), and PUC Chair Megan Decker. Each panelist shared details from their agencies’ plans to meet the Order’s objectives and discussed how the agencies are collaborating in new ways to “row in the same direction together.” The panelists also touched on what their agencies are doing to implement the Order in an equitable way. Some of these actions include ongoing consultation with the Governor’s environmental justice task force and ensuring a seat at the table for frontline groups who are most affected by carbon pollution and climate change.
In 2021, CUB will be laser focused on EO 20-04 implementation. Our staff will participate actively in PUC dockets and DEQ rulemaking to ensure sensible and fair rollouts of follow-up programs. And most importantly, CUB will continue to advocate for residential customers as we have since our creation by Oregon voters in 1984.
On this 9th annual Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting CUB’s work. The implementation of the Executive Order on Climate is wide reaching and a long-term effort that will require a lot of hard work and resources. Whether you become a member at $5 or $500, our members are the core of CUB’s work. Consider becoming a member or renewing your membership today with a gift of $5 or more.
To keep up with CUB, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
12/01/20 | 0 Comments | Support CUB’s Work for a Decarbonized Future on This 9th Annual Giving Tuesday