Tension brews as Oregon agencies push toward climate goals

Kale Williams

Pastoral field with a herd of cows by a shallow pond; a white cow and calf stand near the foreground while black cows graze in the distance under a cloudy sky. — These cows near Hermiston aren't sure where they fit into the plan to reduce carbon emissions. Photo: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oregon is far behind its goals of cutting carbon emissions to slow climate change, and the state's departments can't seem to agree on how to narrow the gap.

Why it matters: Oregon is pushing to cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2035, and a draft plan to help do so is exposing tensions between state agencies over policy priorities.

State of play: The Oregon Department of Energy released the draft for public comment last week, OPB reported.

The recommendations included things like reducing food waste, installing heat pumps in more homes and increasing access to solar panels.

The intrigue: The proposal also called on residents to "reduce beef and pork consumption 50% by 2050" as well as cutting down on poultry and eggs.

That didn't sit well with the Department of Agriculture, where the board of directors said they had not been included in the process.

What they're saying: That particular recommendation appears to run contrary to work the state has done to fund more local meat processing facilities.

Processing meat locally "is not only more efficient, less expensive, but greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating unnecessary animal and meat transport all over the country," Board of Agriculture chair Elin Miller told OPB.

The bottom line: The Department of Energy noted that the recommendations were still just in draft form and extended the public comment period from March 27 to April 10.

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Tension brews as Oregon agencies push toward climate goals

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