ABOUT THE OREGON CONSERVATION NETWORK AND OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) has brought together our state’s environmental organizations to protect Oregon’s natural legacy and ensure a better Oregon for our kids. Together, we determine and support shared Priorities for a Healthy Oregon. We also identify and fight Major Threats to a Healthy Oregon. OCN is coordinated by the OLCV Education Fund and powered by the hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who belong to its member organizations.
We began the 2019 legislative session with five priorities:
Clean Energy Jobs.
It’s simple. Policies that limit and price climate pollution are needed in Oregon and everywhere on Planet Earth. More information can be found on pages 3—5. Ditching Dirty Diesel. Oregon has a diesel problem, with the Portland Metro area experiencing some of the worst air quality in the nation. It’s been a years-long effort now to get dirty diesel engines out of Oregon’s trucks and other equipment and this bill starts that process.
Oil Train Spill Response.
In recent years, a sudden influx of oil trains rolling through Oregon’s riversides and neighborhoods has created a need for a comprehensive plan to prevent and respond to spills. The Mosier derailment in 2016 made that crystal clear. Legislators responded by supporting a bill that ensures the rail industry is on the hook if disaster strikes again.
Pesticide Protections.
The science is clear: some pesticides can negatively impact human health, water quality, aquatic species, pollinators, and the biodiversity upon which we all depend. This priority aimed to restrict neonicotinoid use and to ban chlorpyrifos, while also improving the state’s Pesticide Use Reporting System.
Funding Conservation, Climate, and Clean Energy Agencies.
The Oregon Conservation Network supports budget items across agencies that we wanted to see prioritized in the 2019-2021 budget. Under the current federal administration, our state must account for the instability of the most fundamental environmental and human health protections. This session, we were pleased with monies for Cleaner Air Oregon, but disappointed by extra funding for lethal wildlife management, among other issues in the state’s budget.