Oregon's Legislative Wins and Losses
Oregon lawmakers today are hanging it up for 2009. How'd they do? Folks are celebrating bills to cut the carbon content of fuel in cars and trucks by 10 percent by 2020; requirements to increase energy efficiency in buildings; and prohibiting construction of new coal plants.
A few tears were shed for the failure to pass legislation putting the state on track for meeting greenhouse gas reductions. (For a fuller accounting of the session check out these round ups from the Oregon Conservation Network or the Healthy Climate Partnership, and check out this story in the Oregonian explaining nicely why things went the way it did for conservation-related bills.)
Here's a little more info on three bills making the cut:
Cascadia's Congress Members on Cap and Trade
The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill passed the House narrowly on Friday. The epic, historic, landmark (insert favorite, happy superlative here) piece of legislation that sets limits on greenhouse gases and invests in renewable energy passed narrowly with a 219 to 212 vote. Even President Barack Obama made last-minute calls to get this thing approved. So how did lawmakers vote in the Cascadia region?
The tally was an even split for and against--10 to 10, mostly down party lines. But there were a couple of surprises thrown in.
