Community Perspective: Oregon Must Choose to Lead in Clean Energy for our Communities

By George Beverly Jr. & Sierra Bell

You are lying on a blanket at the park on a summer’s day in 2040. The sky is clear blue and in the horizon you can see solar panels sprinkled on every roof in the nearby neighborhood. The entire state is powered by 100% clean energy-- and your energy bills are lower than ever. Good-paying jobs in clean energy are plentiful and Oregon is recognized across the world as a leader in the industry. All Oregonians are thriving, breathing clean air indoors and out. Homes are well insulated and weather-tight. Asthma rates are down. 

A cloud briefly passes in front of the sun, and you remember how different things were two decades ago.

Oregon had a rough 2020. We suffered through the pandemic, widespread job losses, and catastrophic wildfires made worse by climate change, which burned over a million acres. Many of us lost our homes and were displaced for months. 

The pain of 2020 was not shared equally. Low-income Oregonians, rural Oregonians, Black, Brown, and Indigenous Oregonians--some of us suffered more. We represent these communities that were among the hardest hit by the crises of 2020. Today, we are calling for Oregon to invest in us. 

The Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign is supporting three related bills in the Oregon State Legislature. Together, they will reduce energy bills for low-income households (House Bill 2475, which already passed with bipartisan support), support home upgrades that help keep families healthy (House Bill 2842), and spur economic investment in clean energy projects across Oregon (House Bill 2024). 

These bills will help vulnerable Oregonians right away as we rebuild from hard times, but they also represent a profound investment in our state. The transition to clean energy is already happening and Oregon can either lead or follow. With these bills, we can choose to become a leader and ensure that communities like ours benefit. 

If we seize this moment, everyone will prosper together. House Bill 2024, 100% Clean Energy For All, will require 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040 and ensure that new jobs in clean energy pay good wages and benefits with workforce training opportunities for women, BIPOC Oregonians, people with disabilities, and veterans. Federally-recognized Tribes would be consulted in the siting of new clean energy projects so that they can continue protecting their cultural and natural resources for future generations.

House Bill 2024 includes a cost cap to limit increases to home energy bills and will invest $50 million in community-based energy projects to help us build disaster-resilient energy systems in our own communities and create new job opportunities as we transition to 100% clean energy. Oregonians across the state are looking to the Oregon Legislature to help ensure our communities reap the benefits from Oregon’s transition to clean energy.

We would like to gaze into the clear blue sky of 2040 with satisfaction, knowing that Oregon came together in a dark time and chose justice, chose the future, chose to lead rather than follow. This future is possible if we choose it today. This is our moment. 

Learn more and take action at bit.ly/oceo-act

George Beverly, Jr. is a medically retired Staff Sergeant of the U.S. Army living in Blue River, OR. In 2020, his family was displaced by the Holiday Farms Wildfire for over 4 months. Sierra Bell is a Sophomore at North Bend High School.