Oregon Gov. Kotek calls herself a “climate champion,” a moniker her supporters also used during her campaign for governor.During her time as speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, she said she helped pass significant legislation to fight climate change. She supported the state’s Clean Fuels Rule in 2017, and the state’s Clean Energy Jobs bill in 2020. In 2021, she helped pass legislation which requires electric utilities in the state to achieve net-neutral carbon emissions by 2040.Governor Tina Kotek poses for a portrait in the State Library of Oregon, Salem, Ore., Jan. 29, 2025.Anna Lueck for OPB / OPBShe said these policies were among the reasons why she ran for governor to “make sure we could fulfill all the things we’ve put into place.”“It’s not enough to say you have a program, we have a target,” she told OPB. “You actually have to do it.”But Kotek is now halfway through her term as the state’s top government official. Unlike her predecessor, former Gov. Kate Brown, who created the state’s Climate Protection Program via executive order, Kotek hasn’t made climate or environmental issues central to her agenda. In her first two years, Kotek’s top priorities have been housing and homelessness, behavioral health and education and early learning.OPB asked Kotek to explain her record on climate and the environment — including some of the top issues shaping Oregonians lives today. Here’s what she told us about the state’s climate progress, how federal funding will affect Oregon’s goals, what climbing utility rates mean, what the state government can do, and more.Does Kotek have a climate agenda? And is it enough?Some environmental and climate advocates told OPB climate change has not been one of Kotek’s top priorities, or a priority at all. Others – like the Oregon Environmental Council and Oregon League of Conservation voters – have publicly commended her 2025 proposed budget as a step in the right direction, but advocate for more funding for energy affordability, climate resilience and popular programs like electric vehicle rebates, that have run out of funding.We asked Kotek to respond.“I think they have the wrong impression of what my commitment is,” she told OPB. “I really believe that Oregon and the United States have to do more to fight climate change. For me it’s a personal faith issue that we have to be good stewards of the land and that is what has driven me over the years to say, ‘let’s set really ambitious targets, let’s put programs in place’.”Kotek’s climate mantra: “We have to do all of it and if there’s a good idea out there, that’s something we need to pursue, I am open to it. And if something is proving not to be having as much success as we want, we need to change it to something else. I think we have to adapt.”She also said her housing proposals — part of her core agenda — are also climate proposals. For example, she hopes to get people in homes cl
Mar. Feb 4th, 2025
