OSPIRG's Maureen Kirk

With the war in Iraq, rising gasoline prices, debate over the future of PGE and the threat of drilling in the Arctic Refuge, decisionmakers, the media and Oregonians across the state are all paying more attention to energy policy these days.

This summer’s passage of the federal energy bill—long sought by the Bush administration and the oil, gas and nuclear industries—has made advocacy of clean energy solutions here in Oregon even more urgent.

With the stakes higher and the choices clearer than ever before, we are at a crossroads on energy policy. One path—the one reflected in the energy bill—has us deepening our dependence on foreign oil while drilling in pristine places at home, including potentially off Oregon’s coast. On that same path are more tax dollars to subsidize nuclear power and dirty coal, more global warming pollution and less clean energy.

In Oregon, we can and must take a different path. Energy issues will continue to be priorities at the federal level. But just as Gov. Ted Kulongoski demonstrated when he announced he would seek to bring clean car standards to Oregon (see Clean Cars In Oregon story), states can take on energy issues as big as global warming.

To prod our state officials in that direction, OSPIRG has redoubled its clean energy advocacy. Our clean energy program proposes concrete actions that our state leaders can take to use cleaner technology to power our lives—and strengthen our economy by doing so.

OSPIRG’s vision takes us on a better path—a path toward greater energy efficiency, quick implementation of the clean cars program to reduce global warming pollution and increased investment in clean, renewable power like wind and solar.

The status quo—more dependence on oil, more drilling and more pollution from dirty cars and power plants—is unsustainable. Those ideas, found in the Bush administration’s energy policies, reflect the interests of Big Oil, not of the public.

The path we advocate is not pie-in-the-sky or futuristic; it’s sensible, practical—and imperative. For over 30 years, OSPIRG has been promoting safe, renewable energy. We’ve worked in coalition with Renewable Northwest Project, Oregon CUB, the Fair and Clean Energy Coalition, NWEC and other experts to find and forward sound policy solutions.

I can assure you that the need to change our energy policy has never been more apparent or more immediate. We’re at a turning point, and OSPIRG is working hard to ensure that Oregon takes the right path, for a clean, sustainable future. Thanks for being on the road with us.

Maureen Kirk
Executive Director