2009: Banned New Coal
Environment Oregon helped pass a greenhouse gas emissions standard for new electricity facilities - essentially banning any new coal plant to be built or long-term coal contract to be entered into, reducing Oregon's global warming pollution by more than 14 million metric tons.  Now all three West Coast states have adopted the No New Coal Standard.

2009: Required More Energy Efficient Buildings
Energy efficiency now must be 10 to 15 better for new commercial buildings and 15 to 25 percent better for new residential buildings by 2012, with regular efficiency upgrades to new buildings thereafter.  With buildings responsible for two-fifth's of America's global warming emissions, Oregon is leading the way toward eliminating emissions from this sector.

2009: Created Innovative Financing for Energy Efficiency
Not only will new buildings be more energy efficient, the existing housing stock now has a great new financing tool to bring down the upfront costs of energy efficiency and solar installation.  Through a new program, home owners will be able to have an energy audit conducted on their home, energy efficiency upgrades made, and then pay back the cost of the upgrades on their utility bill.  All the headaches of finding bank loans to finance projects is eliminated with a streamlined process that takes out the guess work.

2007: Set State Goals to Reduce Global Warming Pollution
Environment Oregon convinced the state Legislature to set strong goals for reducing global warming emissions statewide. In 2008, Oregon joined six other western states in a regional plan to cut the pollution that causes global warming. 

2007: Passed Renewable Portfolio Standard
Twenty-five percent of Oregon’s electricity will come from wind, solar and other renewable sources by 2025, after Environment Oregon and a broad coalition worked to convince the Legislature to pass a renewable energy standard in 2007.

2007: Expanded Business Energy Tax Credit
Oregon expanded energy tax credits that will attract wind farms, solar manufacturing, and other renewable energy businesses to our state while keeping the costs of new energies down for ratepayers. 

2005/2007: Promoting energy efficiency & conservation
In 2005 and 2007, Environment Oregon helped pass new energy efficiency standards for 17 different appliances, from DVD players to refrigerators. By 2020, the two bills will save Oregon enough electricity to power 60,000 homes. 

2009: Building Livable Communities
Although the transportation package was too highway heavy, the Portland region will lead the state in reducing global warming pollution through better transportation and development planning and funding.  Additionally, a task force was created to expand this planning to Oregon's next five largest metropolitan regions.

2009: Set a Low Carbon Fuel Standard
The transportation sector accounts for more than a third of Oregon's global warming pollution.  Environment Oregon helped pass legislation reduce those emissions by requiring fuels to emit 10% less lifecycle global warming pollution by 2020.

2006: Clean Cars For Oregon
Oregon will match California's vehicle emissions requirements.

2009: Preserved the Metolius River Basin
A 36-year dream to protect the Metolius River as an "area of critical state concern" was fulfilled.  No longer allowed are two destination resorts that had threatened to over-populate the river basin with suburban-style development and draw-down the groundwater and river level.  The federally-listed bull trout and the stories of generations of Oregonians live on.

2009: Preserving Oregon's wildernesses
Working with the Obama Administration and Oregon's federal delegation, Environment Oregon helped pass the federal Public Lands Bill that included more than 200,000 acres of wilderness protections for Oregon's federal public lands, including expansion of the Mount Hood Wilderness and wilderness designations for the Soda Mountains and Badlands.

2009: Protecting Oregon’s national forests 
In 2007, Environment Oregon helped convince Gov. Ted Kulongoski to support restoring full protections for Oregon’s pristine roadless forests on Mt. Hood, in the Willamette National Forest and elsewhere.  In 2009, the Obama Administration issued a one-year moratorium on development within our wild, roadless forests and public lands, and Governor Kulongoski has restated his position in favor of protecting the 2 million acres in Oregon and 58.5 million nationwide.

2007: Protected Oregon’s Forests & Farms
More than 750,000 acres of Oregon’s forests and farmlands are protected, thanks to a victory on Ballot Measure 49. Environment Oregon helped convince the Legislature to refer the measure to the ballot, and worked to get Oregonians to approve it. It passed with an overwhelming 61 percent support in fall 2007.

2009: Protected Oregon's Ocean
Environment Oregon helped pass legislation to protect two coastal water areas as marine reserves and to study the expansion to a network with four additional reserves.  With ocean habitat in deep decline, the reserves will serve as vital sanctuaries for marine life.

2007: Banned Offshore Oil Drilling - for 2 years
Oil and gas drilling threaten the natural beauty of Oregon's coast as well as our climate future.  In 2007 we worked with coastal legislators and business groups to pass a two year moratorium on offshore oil drilling.

2007: Improving recycling in Oregon 
Environment Oregon helped convince the 2007 Oregon Legislature to pass two important recycling bills. One is the first update to Oregon’s Bottle Bill in more than three decades with the inclusion of bottled water. The second establishes free and convenient statewide recycling for computers and TVs, a rapidly growing waste stream that contains toxic chemicals and metals.