Submit public comment to Oregon’s Climate Protection Program by August 30
Oregon’s fight against climate change is ramping up as the public comment period for the restoration of the Climate Protection Program (CPP) is open now until August 30. Originally adopted in 2021, the CPP mandates the state’s largest polluters to cut their carbon emissions and invest money in communities most impacted by climate change. However, due to lawsuits from the gas and oil industry, the program was invalidated on a technicality. In response, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) initiated a rulemaking process in March 2024 to restore the program by the end of the year.
From July 30 to August 30, Oregonians have the opportunity to submit public comments in support of the CPP. Additionally, a public hearing will be held on August 21 at 4 p.m. Once the comment period ends, DEQ will post the final draft of the rules, which will then go to the DEQ’s Environmental Quality Commission for a vote.
Under the CPP, Oregon’s oil and gas companies must cut emissions by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. These companies, regulated by the Climate Protection Program, can use Community Climate Investment (CCI) credits by funding DEQ-approved CCI entities, which invest in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon's environmental justice communities. Estimated to deliver more than $150 million to environmental justice communities, these credits have the power to lower energy bills and support clean energy projects.
Environmental justice (EJ) communities consist of people of color and low-income families who experience climate change first and worst, facing higher costs for utilities, worse air quality, and worse health outcomes. These communities have historically been left out of important decisions that impact their health and wellbeing. One tenant of environmental justice is to provide opportunities for impacted communities to be a part of the decision-making process, which is why this public comment period is a first step in achieving equitable climate change policy.
“The Climate Protection Program is essential for protecting the health and wellbeing of our communities,” says Joel Iboa, founding executive director of the Oregon Just Transition Alliance. “It’s not just about reducing emissions, it’s about ensuring a livable future for those most impacted by climate change.”
Part of the CPP, the Community Climate Investment program was developed with extensive input from community members and environmental justice advocates. It enacts community-informed solutions to reduce energy costs, strengthen home safety, and ensure cleaner, healthier air for future generations. The CCI’s structure intends to support long term, community-based decision making by harnessing the experience and strong relationships CCI organizations have with their community members. Without organizations like Seeding Justice, state agencies would have to use already limited resources to build relationships with communities that may historically distrust them
"This is a chance for Oregonians to demand accountability from polluters," emphasizes Candace Avalos, executive director of Verde. "Community members are the experts of their experience and should be heard above harmful industries who only want to maximize profits."
The Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice (CCEJ), a diverse group of environmental, economic, and climate justice advocates, is dedicated to achieving an equitable, clean energy future in Oregon.
The objectives of our coalition are the following:
Maintain a strong, effective, independent Community Climate Investment program that is responsive to and prioritizes environmental justice community needs and centers environmental justice communities in decision-making.
Adopt a sector-wide, science-based emissions cap that achieves at least the same level of cumulative emissions reductions by 2035 as the previously adopted program and requires immediate compliance.
Hold large industrial facilities accountable for their harmful climate and air pollution by covering mandatory declining emissions targets under the cap.
Reinstate the rules this year.
