In February, Oregonians across the state attended hearings on the Clean Cars program, which will put in place Oregon’s first mandatory limits on global warming pollution from cars and trucks.

The state Department of Environmental Quality held hearings in Medford, Bend, Pendleton and Portland. OSPIRG worked to make sure the public had an opportunity to comment at the hearings. More than 200 Oregonians attended the hearings, including 100 at the Portland hearing. Support for the Clean Cars program was overwhelming; only eight people spoke against the comments.

Among those supporting the program were Reps. Peter Buckley and Greg Macpherson, Sen. Alan Bates, and Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown.

The Environmental Quality Commission votes in June on whether to make the program permanent. In addition to the hearings, DEQ staff reported that more than 5,000 Oregonians submitted comments.