by Kelly Campbell, Policy Director
It’s that time of year in Oregon and Washington’s capital cities when the cherry blossoms arrive and legislative bills must pass key milestones or miss their chance to advance this session.
Legislative session always brings some surprises—and this year has been no exception. The main focus for Columbia Riverkeeper has been playing defense against a whopping 13 pro-nuclear bills that legislators have introduced in the Oregon Legislature, with five of them granted public hearings. This “flood the zone” approach of introducing multiple, similar bills has kept us busy making sure that legislators are equipped with the facts about why new nuclear on the Columbia is not a solution: it is costly, slow, and dirty.
We have also been weighing in on a variety of bills in support of clean water, environmental justice, and climate protection. Here’s a glance at what we’ve been up to by the numbers:
In Oregon:
- Submitted testimony on 14 bills
- Signed on to support 5 additional bills
- Delivered petition signatures from over 500 members and supporters to legislators
In Washington:
- Submitted testimony on 8 bills
- Signed in pro or con on 4 additional bills
- Engaged hundreds of our members to help stop a bad stormwater pollution bill from advancing
We’ll be in touch in the coming weeks as the cherry blossoms drop and the legislative session progresses to let you know how you can speak up for clean water, climate action, and healthy communities.
Nuclear Power: a False Solution to the Climate Crisis
The nuclear power industry would like you to believe that Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMNRs) are a magic bullet to solve the climate crisis.