New analysis: As renewable energy grows nationwide, Oregon has room to grow
In 2021, America produced three times as much renewable electricity from the sun and the wind as in 2012.
Media Releases
Report: Polluters dumped ~200 million lbs. of toxics into waterways
Call to cut down water pollution as Supreme Court case, 50th anniversary of Clean Water Act, near
Climate Week webinar: ‘Uniting States for 100% Renewable Energy’
Experts, state officials celebrated increased adoption of clean energy in states, discussed what’s next
2022 heat wave/energy efficiency coverage: data, resources and interview opportunities
Unprecedented heat has scorched many parts of the United States into September. According to the Washington Post, as of September 7, cities across the country had endured more than 7,000 new daily high temperature records this summer.
Biden promises action on climate change during event at former coal plant
President Joe Biden took his campaign to slow down climate change and speed up our transition to clean energy to the site of the former Brayton Point coal-fired power plant on Wednesday. Brayton Point is now becoming a hub for the development and production of offshore wind technology. During the visit, he announced a new program to develop offshore wind power in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time and indicated that his administration would propose additional executive actions to tackle climate change in the coming days.
Report: Federal logging projects put 10 climate-saving forests on chopping block
Federal agencies are targeting mature and old-growth forests for logging despite these trees’ extraordinary ability to curb climate change and President Joe Biden’s directive to preserve them, according to a new report spotlighting the 10 worst logging projects in federal forests across the country.
Report: Damaging methane gas pipeline leaks happen every 40 hours in the U.S.
On Thursday, OSPIRG Foundation, Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group released a new report that finds from 2010 through nearly the end of 2021, almost 2,600 gas pipeline incidents occurred in the United States that were serious enough to require reporting to the federal government. That’s the equivalent to one every 40 hours.
Logging mature and old trees threatens U.S. climate goals
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday signed a memorandum to clarify the U.S. Forest Service’s direction on climate policy. The memo, "Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship of America's National Forests and Grasslands," follows a recent White House executive order highlighting the importance of conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands as a climate solution. The memo, which lays out “actions to restore forests, improve resilience, and address the climate crisis”, falls short in meeting the ambition outlined in President Joe Biden’s order on old forests and trees. Secretary Vilsack acknowledges the role that older trees play in absorbing and storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. But he fails to outline a plan for his agency to protect mature and old-growth forests and trees from commercial logging.
Rhode Island legislature commits to 100% of state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2033
The Rhode Island legislature has passed legislation that would set the fastest timeline for any state in the nation to procure 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources.
Environmental, public health groups to Senate: Act on toxic PFAS in drinking water
Eighty-two organizations, including Environment America and U.S. PIRG, delivered a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee calling for comprehensive federal legislation to protect Americans’ drinking water from contamination by the toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS. The organizations, which hail from 30 states, asked the EPW Committee to designate all PFAS as hazardous substances, prohibit their use in firefighting foam, and direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue drinking water standards and stop the dumping of PFAS into our nation’s waterways.