For every new president the preliminary measure of success is the famous "First 100 Days."
Maybe this year it's time to set a new benchmark. Perhaps President Obama should be the first American president to be assessed against the "First 92 Days" measuring stick as of April 22, Earth Day.
This Earth Day, Americans had plenty to celebrate. That's because Obama has, in 92 days, set Oregon and the nation in a new direction when it comes to transitioning to a clean energy economy, halting global warming and protecting the environment.
Take day six, when Obama directed his new Environmental Protection Agency administrator to reconsider a Bush administration decision preventing Oregon and 13 other states from reducing global warming pollution from cars and light trucks. If the EPA approves Oregon's standards, we could save around 3 billion gallons of gasoline and prevent 14.2 tons of global warming pollution by 2020.
But Obama didn't stop there. On day 37, he unveiled a budget that means a cleaner, greener, more prosperous America. If the budget is implemented, Oregon's sewage treatment plants could be eligible for $22.5 million in funding for upgrades that would protect our water quality and cleanup could be accelerated at Portland Harbor, Oregon's only Superfund site.
On day 69, Obama signed the largest expansion of protected wilderness in 15 years. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act was the result of a bipartisan coalition, led by the Oregon congressional delegation, in both the Senate and House, that protected an additional 200,000 acres of Oregon's forests and rivers -- an amazing victory for anyone who's enjoyed one of Oregon's most iconic areas, Mt. Hood.
So why wait for the last 9 days to evaluate Obama's progress? The first 92 days look pretty darn good for the environment. Yet, there is more work to do. The latest science makes clear that, to protect future generations from the worst effects of global warming, we must reduce pollution over the next 10 years faster than the president has proposed, cutting emissions nationally by 35 percent below today's levels by 2020.
Capping global warming pollution, both here in Oregon and nationally, and ensuring that polluters pay is the right move for our environment and our economy.
After eight years of perhaps the most anti-environmental administration in American history, President Obama is working hard to right the ship and protect our environment and public health -- today and for future generations of Oregonians.
Here's hoping that the next 1,333 days are as productive as the first 92!
Nicole Forbes is a field organizer for Environment Oregon.
