The Environmental Law Education Center is hosting a one-day conference in Portland today to delve into several state programs that are tackling air pollution and climate change.
The topics range from the governor’s 10-year energy plan for all of Oregon to the “Good Neighbor Agreement” in northwest Portland that got a local polluter to reduce its air pollution beyond what the law requires.
Conference speakers will address proposed air quality bills for the 2013 Oregon Legislature, the legal and regulatory issues governing air quality and climate change, and the state’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 75 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
They will also discuss state regulators’ plans to reduce air toxics from wood stoves, cars, trucks, construction equipment, and industrial metal facilities – as approved by the Environmental Quality Commission in August.
And they will review the pending plans to lower greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels by 10 percent over a 10 year period, which is up for a vote by the EQC next month.
Is Oregon doing enough to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions? Is it doing too much? I welcome your thoughts.