Priorities for a Healthy Oregon

The Oregon Conservation Network and Our Legislative Priorities

For more than 20 years, the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) has brought together our state’s environmental organizations to protect Oregon’s natural legacy and ensure a better future 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. During the 2021 legislative session OCN had four priorities (one of which was a package of three bills):

The Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity

A package of three bills including 100% Clean Energy for All, the Healthy Homes Act, and the Energy Affordability Act. OCN partnered with the campaign led by frontline and environmental justice organizations to pass these bills which will help our state transition to a clean energy future by 2040 while creating jobs, ensuring that everyone can afford to pay their energy bills, and live in more energy efficient and safer homes.

Comprehensive Wildfire Policy

The catastrophic wildfires of 2020 set the stage for passing urgently needed comprehensive wildfire policy to help Oregonians be better prepared for and more resilient to future fires.

Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) Reform

Initially this bill was designed to eliminate this quasi-state agency that is really a de facto mouthpiece for the logging industry. The bill was amended to get it out of committee and, in its final version, cut the agency's budget in half and prohibits misleading advertising.

Budget for Natural Resources Agencies

This is a perennial priority and this year we saw one of the healthiest budgets for key agencies like the Water Resources Department and many other state natural resources agencies.