Readers respond: Oregon needs climate protection program

Sunlight filters through my room as my fan struggles to move stagnant air. As I write this, it is only July, it’s 102 degrees, and there are already four suspected heat-related deaths in Portland.

My name is Xitlali Torres and I am the Air Quality and Climate Program Coordinator at Verde, an organization of environmental justice (EJ) communities. These communities are made up of people of color and low-income families who face higher utility costs, worse air quality and poorer health outcomes.

I write this in my hot apartment because the Climate Protection Program is under attack, (“Oregon seeks redo on signature Climate Protection Program invalidated by court ruling,” Jan. 23). The program was created to reduce emissions and support a community-centered, clean energy future for EJ communities; big polluters used a legal loophole to shut it down. During an historic climate crisis, the DEQ and public advocates are working to restore it.

Energy is not reliable when a person can’t afford to use it. EJ communities shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their kids and turning their AC on during 102-degree heat. The Climate Protection Program will lower energy costs and reduce burdens on EJ communities, yet the very polluters who exacerbate extreme heat are fighting tooth and nail to continue business as usual.

We need strong support for the Climate Protection Program because its benefit to EJ communities strengthens Oregon as a whole. All Oregonians are feeling the impacts of climate change. We can’t let fossil fuel companies decide the future of Oregon.

Xitlali Torres, Portland