As part of his 2009 legislative agenda, Gov. Ted Kulongoski, D-Ore., has announced a series of climate change legislation to be considered in the 2009 legislative session. The governor presented his agenda at the Center for Health and Healing at Oregon Health and Science University, highlighting green buildings and electric cars as two fundamental components to the climate agenda.
‘We have made great progress in the fight against climate change over the last five years, but that was just the beginning,’ says Kulongoski. ‘This next session, we must be bolder, more strategic and even more visionary if we want to reach our greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and truly pull ahead of the pack, leading our country and the globe on green living and green working.’
Kulongoski's climate change agenda for 2009 centers around four key areas: GHG reductions, energy conservation and efficiency, and renewable energy and sustainable transportation. Each area contains concepts that reduce GHG emissions, encourage alternative power and vehicle use, drive innovative energy technology development, provide energy efficiency information to consumers and protect low-income energy users.
The major elements of the governor's climate change agenda include developing net-zero energy-use building codes, expanding the business energy tax credit to new, more efficient vehicles, development of energy performance certificates for homebuyers and a regional cap and trade program to reduce GHG emissions.
SOURCE: Office of Gov. Ted Kulongoski
