Submit Public Comment
The public comment period for the Climate Protection Program (CPP) has officially started! Your input is crucial in ensuring that the CPP reflects the needs and values of our communities.
Please use the tool below to submit public comment in support of the CPP.
Public comments are due September 27th at 4 pm.
If you would like to edit the form above with a specific message, below are alternative emails that you can use. In the emails below, the CCEJ has added specific recommendations our coalition would like to see in the final CPP rules. If you have questions about these items, you can reach out to MirandaM@Strategies360.com .
If you would prefer to email DEQ with your public comments, please feel free to copy/paste any of the below messages and send it to CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.gov.
Date: August XX, 2024
To: CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.gov
Subject: Restore the Climate Protection Program
My name is [First and Last Name], and I live in [City, State] and I am writing because [sentence about you, your organization, and/or your connection to the climate crisis].
I am writing to advocate for the immediate restoration of the Climate Protection Program (CPP). As we have witnessed in recent years, wildfires have devastated many Oregon communities, including Talent, Mill City, and Detroit. Delaying action on the CPP increases the risk of more communities facing similar fates.
Climate change is a major factor in the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires. The CPP is designed to reduce fossil fuel emissions and invest in sustainable practices that can help mitigate these climate impacts. By restoring the CPP, we can take proactive steps to prevent further wildfire devastation and protect our communities from the catastrophic effects of climate change.
I urge you to maintain language in the final rules that will uphold the integrity of the program, including: requiring compliance every two years; disallowing offsets (investments in projects outside of the regulated sectors and outside of Oregon); upholding the proposed price for Community Climate Investment (CCI) credits; and directly regulating industrial natural gas emissions while maintaining the integrity of the overall cap.
In addition to maintaining the above, I also strongly urge you to strengthen the rule language to ensure that the Climate Protection Program delivers climate justice and investments for communities, achieves science-based emissions reductions, and holds large industrial polluters accountable for their emissions. Specifically, I urge DEQ to:
- Deliver climate justice by maintaining a strong and effective CCI program that prioritizes communities that experience climate change impacts first and worst, and ensures near-term investments.
- DO NOT reward oil and gas companies by adding more compliance instruments.
- Follow the science and uphold the emissions cap that will ensure near-term emissions reductions.
- Require immediate compliance for oil and gas companies to reduce pollution.
- Hold industrial polluters accountable to the harm they have caused Oregon communities for generations.
- Regulate all emissions from large industrial polluters under the cap.
Strong requirements to reduce pollution will decrease the occurrence of extreme weather events like raging wildfires and longer periods of extreme heat. With the CCI program, we can invest in solutions for communities who bear the brunt of these impacts.
Every day of delay puts more lives, homes, and ecosystems at risk. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Please act swiftly to restore the CPP and safeguard Oregon from future wildfire disasters.
Sincerely,
[insert signature]
Date: August XX, 2024
To: CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.gov
Subject: Restore the Climate Protection Program
My name is [First and Last Name], and I live in [City, State] and I am writing because [sentence about you, your organization, and/or your connection to the climate crisis].
I am writing to advocate for the immediate restoration of the Climate Protection Program (CPP). The health and well-being of Oregonians depend on it.
Climate change is already producing severe consequences for our communities. Oregonians have died from the extreme heat and cold which are becoming more severe due to climate change. The dirty air following wildfires or increased pollution is harmful for our health, increases healthcare costs and puts additional strain on our public health systems. By restoring the CPP, we can reduce pollution, improve air quality, spend less on healthcare costs, and enhance public health outcomes for all Oregonians. The delay in implementing this vital program puts the health of our most vulnerable populations at even greater risk.
I urge you to maintain language in the final rules that will uphold the integrity of the program, including: requiring compliance every two years; disallowing offsets (investments in projects outside of the regulated sectors and outside of Oregon); upholding the proposed price for Community Climate Investment (CCI) credits; and directly regulating industrial natural gas emissions while maintaining the integrity of the overall cap.
In addition to maintaining the above, I also strongly urge you to strengthen the rule language to ensure that the Climate Protection Program delivers climate justice and investments for communities, achieves science-based emissions reductions, and holds large industrial polluters accountable for their emissions. Specifically, I urge DEQ to:
- Deliver climate justice by maintaining a strong and effective CCI program that prioritizes communities that experience climate change impacts first and worst, and ensures near-term investments.
- DO NOT reward oil and gas companies by adding more compliance instruments.
- Follow the science and uphold the emissions cap that will ensure near-term emissions reductions.
- Require immediate compliance for oil and gas companies to reduce pollution.
- Hold industrial polluters accountable to the harm they have caused Oregon communities for generations.
- Regulate all emissions from large industrial polluters under the cap.
I urge you to act without delay and prioritize the health of our communities by restoring the CPP immediately.
Sincerely,
[insert signature]
Date: August XX, 2024
To: CPP.2024@DEQ.Oregon.gov
Subject: Restore the Climate Protection Program
My name is [First and Last Name], and I live in [City, State] and I am writing because [sentence about you, your organization, and/or your connection to the climate crisis].
I am writing to express my urgent concern for the immediate restoration of the Climate Protection Program (CPP). This program is crucial for advancing environmental justice and equity in Oregon. The CPP was specifically designed to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on Black, Brown and Indigenous People of Color, those with low-incomes, youth, seniors and those experiencing disabilities, and rural and coastal Oregon communities.
Environmental justice demands that we take swift action to mitigate the effects of climate change on those who are most vulnerable. The CPP provides the framework for reducing emissions and making significant community investments that benefit those who have long been on the front lines of climate impacts due to historical prejudice and disadvantages. Delaying the restoration of the CPP only prolongs the injustice faced by these communities.
I urge you to maintain language in the final rules that will uphold the integrity of the program, including: requiring compliance every two years; disallowing offsets (investments in projects outside of the regulated sectors and outside of Oregon); upholding the proposed price for Community Climate Investment (CCI) credits; and directly regulating industrial natural gas emissions while maintaining the integrity of the overall cap.
In addition to maintaining the above, I also strongly urge you to strengthen the rule language to ensure that the Climate Protection Program delivers climate justice and investments for communities, achieves science-based emissions reductions, and holds large industrial polluters accountable for their emissions. Specifically, I urge DEQ to:
- Deliver climate justice by maintaining a strong and effective CCI program that prioritizes communities that experience climate change impacts first and worst, and ensures near-term investments.
- DO NOT reward oil and gas companies by adding more compliance instruments.
- Follow the science and uphold the emissions cap that will ensure near-term emissions reductions.
- Require immediate compliance for oil and gas companies to reduce pollution.
- Hold industrial polluters accountable to the harm they have caused Oregon communities for generations.
- Regulate all emissions from large industrial polluters under the cap.
Please show your commitment to environmental justice and equity by restoring the CPP immediately.
Sincerely,
[insert signature]