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2010 State Legislative PrioritiesEnvironment Oregon’s legislative priorities for the state legislative session in February 2010 are: Build livable communities Oregon families need cities where children can safely walk and bike to school, grocery stores are around the corner, and commutes are short and affordable. In short, we need to plan our cities to have a smaller carbon footprint with more rail, buses, bike ways and sidewalks. We are already developing the tools—now we need the state policy to get our cities headed in the right direction. Ban offshore drilling Every Oregonian has a favorite place and pastime on Oregon’s majestic and magical coastline. Now that offshore drilling moratorium has lapsed, it’s time to pass a permanent ban so state policy matches our vision for the coast. Any drilling on the coast would mar the horizon, endanger fish and birds with toxic pollution and oil spills, and emit global warming pollution. Protect kids’ health Our kids deserve a bright future and the opportunity to raise their own healthy families. Unfortunately, Bisphenol-A is a very common chemical that can have health effects at extremely low exposure levels. Scientific studies have linked BPA to cancer, miscarriage, obesity, reproductive problems, heart disease, diabetes, liver abnormalities, and even attention deficit disorders. Fortunately, alternatives exist to this chemical, and we can ban it today. Safeguard Oregon’s clean energy economy As a result of the adoption of the renewable portfolio standard and expansion of the business energy tax credit in 2007, green jobs have doubled and Oregon is now the nation’s capital for solar manufacturing, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and streetcars, and will soon be home to the world’s largest wind farm. It is important to safeguard these policies in order to continue attracting new clean energy businesses and serve as a national model for a 21st century economy. Past State Legislative Priorities
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