Governor Brown signs Environmental Protection Act into law

Governor Kate Brown signed the Oregon Environmental Protection Act into law, ensuring strong clean air and water protections for all Oregonians.

On May 24th, 2019, Environment Oregon’s State Director Celeste Meiffren-Swango and Fellow John Ammondson were honored to stand with Governor Kate Brown as she signed the Oregon Environmental Protection Act into law.

This new law, backed by Environment Oregon and several other environmental organizations, prevents federal rollbacks of critical environmental protections, particularly for our air and water, from being enforced in Oregon. The Oregon Environmental Protection Act ensures that the federal environmental standards of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts that were in place and effective as of January 19, 2017, before President Trump took office, shall remain in effect and be enforceable under state law even if the federal government rolls back these standards.

These environmental protections are critical to ensuring clean air and clean water in our beautiful state, and we were happy to see this bill signed into law.

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Celeste Meiffren-Swango

State Director, Environment Oregon

As director of Environment Oregon, Celeste develops and runs campaigns to win real results for Oregon's environment. She has worked on issues ranging from preventing plastic pollution, stopping global warming, defending clean water, and protecting our beautiful places. Celeste's organizing has helped to reduce kids' exposure to lead in drinking water at childcare facilities in Oregon, encourage transportation electrification, ban single-use plastic grocery bags, defend our bedrock environmental laws and more. She is also the author of the children's book, Myrtle the Turtle, empowering kids to prevent plastic pollution. Celeste lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband and two daughters, where they frequently enjoy the bounty of Oregon's natural beauty.