This will be the biggest Salem Climate Action in 2020!
January 30th Update:
We will try to schedule a car-pool departure directly from Ashland and another from Grants Pass for those not wanting to detour to Medford. If you’d like to join the Ashland car-pool, please let Alan know as soon as possible.
We need to show our strength by standing together. We need to send a message to state legislators and Governor Brown urging them to stand up to the powerful oil and timber industries and pass real climate action.
If you show up for one action on climate legislation in 2020, make it this one.
What & Why? The 2020 Oregon Legislative session runs from Monday February 3rd and only to Sunday March 8th. So far, we have seen a proposal emerge from the Senate chamber initially dubbed Legislative Concept (LC) 0019, though now assigned a Senate Bill (SB) number as SB1530. This is derived from the 2019 House Bill 2020 cap, trade and invest proposal but has been modified substantially in an effort to overcome opposition from Senate Republicans and proposal opponents. Visit SOCAN’s Oregon Climate Action Page for more information on the status of legislation, and the SOCAN response.
In order to demonstrate to our legislators the depth and breadth of support for meaningful greenhouse gas emissions policy in the state, a rally on the Capitol steps in Salem has been scheduled for Tuesday February 11th at noon. Since no other advocacy activities are planned for this event, the timing should allow us to leave Southern Oregon at a somewhat later and more civilized hour than when we have legislator advocacy duties. Given the consistent claims that climate proposals represent an effort by urban Oregonians to undermine life for rural and coastal Oregonians, it is critical that we have a large rally (the goal is over 1,000 Oregonians) with a substantial number of orange-shirted delegates in the Southern Oregon contingent. Our presence is important to demonstrate that rural Oregonians (that IS US, folks – even though we live on the I-5 ‘axis of evil’) care about climate change. Our messages is that we can see climate change happening, that our agriculture, forests, and waterways are already suffering, and that we want, as much as do our urban neighbors, Oregon to contribute to the global campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect the livability of our planet for our children and grandchildren while simultaneously addressing environmental justice issues.
Car-Pooling from Southern Oregon
If you are interested in joining our car-pool to the event (or meeting us there), please contact Alan. If you are willing to drive, please so indicate, and identify how many passengers you can carry. We will gather at 7:45 am for an 8:00 departure (travel time just under 4 hours) in the Fred Meyer S. parking lot on Center Drive, S. Medford near the pumps. As usual, SOCAN will invest in carbon offsets to compensate for the GHG emissions resulting from our excursion and will reimburse drivers in the car pool who wish to submit receipts for the gasoline cost of the excursion.
In addition to contacting Alan, please go to the Renew Oregon site to sign up so they have a reasonably accurate count of those planning to attend. In the box for ‘Transportation/Carpooling’ click ‘Other’ and indicate that you are joining the SOCAN Southern Oregon car-pool.
Please wear an orange SOCAN T-Shirt so we stand out in the crowd. If you don’t have a SOCAN T-Shirt yet, please let me know what size, and I will bring one to the meeting for you. The shirts are available for $15.00 for those representing SOCAN at an event – such as this.
Visit the Renew Oregon Event Page.
Over 200 Oregonian climate activists gather on the steps of the Capitol to support HB2020 on May 29th, 2019 -Photo by Allen Hallmark
