After a landmark vote by its state Assembly, California is poised to join Hawaii and become the second state committed to generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources. If the state Senate votes in favor of the current version of Senate Bill 100, which has only minor changes to a bill the Senate already passed, and then Gov. Jerry Brown signs it, California will commit to a clear target of 100 percent clean electricity by 2045.
Oregon is falling behind the rest of the nation on clean energy, according to our new report. We found that solar grew by 32.5-fold in Oregon compared to nearly 40-fold nationally, and wind grew by 2.5-fold compared to a nearly 5-fold increase nationally. On a brighter note, Oregon ranked 5th for the number of registered electric vehicles on the road.
As the Trump administration considers weakening federal air quality and global warming emissions standards, air pollution remains a threat to public health. Our new report found that 2.4 million people in the greater Portland area experienced 37 days of degraded air quality in 2016, increasing the risk of premature death, asthma attacks and other adverse health impacts.
If Oregon transitioned its entire fleet of diesel transit buses to all-electric vehicles, it could significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions each year and reduce toxic air pollution that creates a public health hazard. Our new report shows that a full transition to electric buses from TriMet alone could avoid an average of 39,990 tons of climate-altering pollution each year -- the equivalent of taking 7,720 cars off the road.
Environment Oregon Research and Policy Center is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to getting things done.
