On Friday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) firmly lodged its opposition against a move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would effectively dismantle key climate protection achievements. According to the DEQ, this challenge to the EPA's proposal is rooted in science, not politics. In a statement on the Oregon DEQ's website, Governor Tina Kotek asserted, "The Endangerment Finding is based on overwhelming scientific research and confirmed by the Supreme Court."
Back in 2009, the EPA issued the Endangerment Finding under the Clean Air Act, codifying the link between human-made air pollution and climate change, which now sits at the heart of the nation's climate initiatives. Oregon has been leveraging this foundation to ambitiously reduce its transportation emissions, a major contributor to the state's overall emissions profile. "We rely on the federal government to set strong national standards which lay the groundwork for us to fight both climate change and local air pollution and keep our communities safe and healthy," DEQ Director Leah Feldon expressed.
The recent revelations from the U.S. Department of Energy's Climate Working Group, which cast doubt on established climate science, are at the core of the new EPA proposal. However, the document has faced widespread criticism from climate experts for its alleged misrepresentation of evidence and rebuttal from Oregon DEQ itself, as reported in a series of formal comments challenging the study's findings. Moreover, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have issued their own report reasserting the harmful health impacts of human-caused climate change.
Additionally, California's Air Resources Board chimed in just yesterday with a critique of what it calls the EPA's "illegal effort to overturn the endangerment finding." Their statement adds to a chorus of disapproval emanating from environmental agencies and advocacy groups. These entities seem determined to continue the hard-fought progress in climate regulation and protection, with a clear focus on evidence-based policymaking to safeguard their communities against the escalating threats posed by climate change.
As the debate over federal climate policy intensifies, the Oregon DEQ stands alongside those who support the Endangerment Finding, viewing it as a pillar of rational environmental governance.
