Climate Change

On September 22, 2003, Governors Kulongoski, Davis and Locke announced that Oregon, California and Washington must act individually and regionally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because global warming will have serious adverse consequences on the economy, health and environment of the west coast states. They therefore created the West Coast Global Warming Initiative.

Governor Ted Kulongoski and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury appointed a Governor’s Advisory Group on Global Warming to develop an Oregon Global Warming Strategy in September 2004 to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Advisory Group’s goal was to develop a climate change strategy for Oregon that will provide long-term sustainability for the environment, protect public health, consider social equity, create economic opportunity, and expand public awareness. The Oregon Global Warming Strategy process was open to the public.

Two final reports from these efforts are available:

• West Coast Global Warming Initiative Staff Recommendations to the Governors


• Oregon Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions

The Oregon Department of Energy's website, http://egov.oregon.gov/ENERGY/GBLWRM/Strategy.shtml, is home to the primary pages of Oregon's Global Warming Strategy.

West Coast Global Warming Initiative

Final Report
The final report, West Coast Global Warming Initiative Staff Recommendations to the Governors, was issued November 18th, 2004. The 10 appendices to the report are listed below:

A. Selected press clippings [3.3mb pdf]
B. Turning the Corner on Global Warming Emissions, Tellus Institute [1.9mb pdf]
C. Poised for Profit II Executive Summary, The Athena Institute [194kb pdf]
D. Overview of Climate Change Impacts in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, University of Washington, Climate Impacts Group [263kb pdf]
E. Scientific Consensus Statement on the Likely Impacts of Climate Change on the Pacific Northwest, Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University [1.1mb pdf]
F. Emissions Pathways, Climate Change, and Impacts on California, from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [488kb pdf]
G. Working Group Reports [1.2mb pdf]
H. Review of Actions by States: Senate Testimony by Kenneth Colburn [221kb pdf]
I. Setting a Global Warming Pollution Reduction Target, The Energy Foundation [202kb pdf]
J. Contact List [92kb pdf]

Oregon Global Warming Strategy

Final Report
The final report of the Governor's Advisory Group on Global Warming, Oregon Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions, was delivered to Governor Kulongoski March 25th, 2005 with a letter of transmittal by co-chairs Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Mr. Mark Dodson. [3.3mb and 33kb pdf resectively]

Structure

Governor's Advisory Group on Global Warming
    Member list
    Meetings
        December 17th, 2004
        August 18th, 2004
         agenda [pdf]
        June 14th, 2004
         agenda [pdf]
        May 12th, 2004
         agenda [pdf]
        February 2nd, 2004
         agenda [html]

Background Documents
Developing Oregon’s Global Warming Strategy and Implementing the West Coast Global Warming Initiative, January 22nd, 2004.

Taking Action to Address Global Warming - An overview of the accomplishments of California, Oregon and Washington.

Inventory of Oregon Carbon Dioxide Emissions [pdf] - Inventory of Oregon CO2 emissions including benchmark and per capita emissions, 1990-2000.

Climate Change and the Impact on Business [pdf] - Prepared by The Conference Board based on a conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, June 15th, 2004.

Climate Change Action Plan [pdf] - A Climate Change Action Plan prepared by The Committee on the Environment and the Northeast International Committee on Energy of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, August 2001.

Public Comment
Meetings of the Governor's Advisory Group are open to the public. As well, there was a series of meetings designed to receive public comment on the Governor's Advisory Group draft report of recommendations: October 21st in Medford, October 26th in Portland, and October 28th in Bend.

Comments on Draft Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy, Bob Doppelt, University of Oregon, December 1st, 2004. [pdf]

Nike Inc.'s Response, Nike, November 30th, 2004. [pdf]

Guanidine: A Sustainable and Carbon Dioxide Emission-Neutral Fuel for Transportation, Oregon Sustainable Energy, LLC. [pdf]

Religious Leaders’ Statement, Oregon Interfaith Global Warming Campaign, November 15th, 2004. [pdf]

Four letters submitted through Energy Trust of Oregon, May 9th, 2004:
  Introduction [pdf] by Steven R. Schell, Energy Trust of Oregon
  Letter [pdf] by Mark C. Trexler, Trexler Climate + Energy Services
  Article [pdf] by Laura Kosloff, Trexler Climate + Energy Services
  15 possible measures [pdf] by Steven R. Schell and Tom Foley, Energy Trust of Oregon

A letter from Mike Burnett, Executive Director of The Climate Trust, May 13th, 2004

Climate Change in the News
Consensus is growing among scientists, governments, and business..., Business Week, August 16th, 2004

A pledge to promote renewable energy, Aljazeera.net, June 4th, 2004

Economists call global warming efforts 'bad investment', Science and Development Network, June 4th, 2004

Religious Leaders Urge U.S. Senate to Act on Climate, Wall Street Journal, May 19th, 2004

Washington Legislature passes SHB 3141 "An Act Relating to mitigating carbon dioxide emissions resulting from fossil-fueled electrical generation," March 10, 2004. Read about SHB 3141 from the Washington Legislature's website. Read a press release by NW Energy Coalition and Climate Solutions, March 9th, 2004.

Climate Change Science: Adapt, Mitigate, or Ignore? by David A. King, Chief Scientific Adviser to H.M Government, United Kingdom and featured in Science Magazine, January 9th, 2004.