| Press Release |
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| October 27, 2008 |
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Governor announces climate change agenda for 2009
Legislation will combat climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts, green buildings and electric cars.
(Salem) – As part of his 2009 legislative agenda, Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced a series of climate change legislation to be considered in the 2009 legislative session. Joined by Peggy Fowler of Portland General Electric and Mark Edlen of Gerding Edlen Developers, the Governor presented his agenda at the Center for Health and Healing at Oregon Health and Science University , highlighting green buildings and electric cars as two fundamental components to the climate agenda.
“We have made great progress in the fight against climate change over the last five years, but that was just the beginning,” Governor Kulongoski said. “This next session we must be bolder, more strategic and even more visionary if we want to reach our greenhouse reduction goals and truly pull ahead of the pack, leading our country and the globe on green living and green working.”
The Governor’s climate change agenda for 2009 centers around four key areas: Greenhouse Gas Reductions; Energy Conservation and Efficiency; Renewable Energy; and Sustainable Transportation. Each area contains concepts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, encourages alternative power and vehicle use, drives innovative energy technology development, provides energy efficiency information to consumers and protects low income energy users.
“We have reached another historic moment in our understanding of the environment – and the economy,” the Governor said. “The unregulated and unmitigated emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is changing our climate, threatening our ecology, keeping us dependent on foreign sources of energy, and – if nothing is done – is a missed opportunity to reinvent our national and state economies.”
The major elements of the Governor’s climate change agenda include developing net-zero energy use building codes, expanding the Business Energy Tax Credit to new more efficient vehicles, development of energy performance certificates for homebuyers and a regional cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We must continue to be aggressive in creating the tools we need to solve the global warming crisis – and in doing so, strengthen our economy and preserve our quality of life for our children and grandchildren,” the Governor said. “My agenda is broad. It is ambitious. It is comprehensive. And the time to put it into action is now.”
For a complete description of the Governor’s entire 2009 climate changes agenda, click here.
Contact:
Anna Richter Taylor, 503-378-6169
Rem Nivens, 503-378-6496
Jillian Schoene, 503-378-5040
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