Contacts:
Grace Brahler, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Madeline Cowen, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463

Feds Solicit Public Input for Climate Resilience Rulemaking

On April 20, 2023, the two federal agencies charged with overseeing federally-managed public forests in the US released a much-anticipated report defining, identifying, and producing an initial inventory of mature and old-growth forests. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) inventory, which will continue to expand, identified more than 32 million acres of old-growth and around 80 million acres of mature forest across 200 types of forests. The inventory was ordered by President Biden in his 2022 Earth Day Executive Order, which marked the first time the federal government clearly acknowledged the many ecosystem services and climate benefits of our country’s last remaining mature and old-growth forests. The initial inventory found that old-growth forest represents 18% and mature forest another 45% of all forested lands managed by the Forest Service and BLM. In addition, the Forest Service announced a proposed rulemaking process. The agency is asking for public input on how to adapt current policies to protect, conserve, and manage national forests and grasslands for climate resilience.

“We are pleased to see the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management meet the ambitious deadline set last Earth Day to define and inventory the remaining mature and old-growth forests on federally-managed public lands,” said Grace Brahler, wildlands director with Cascadia Wildlands. “However, the glaring shortcoming remains that mature and old-growth forests are not protected from logging while this process unfolds. As we move into this next phase, we continue to call for durable legal protections for these forests for their myriad benefits, including as profoundly effective carbon sinks.”

“As we get ready to celebrate yet another Earth Day characterized by compounding biodiversity and climate crises, we ask federal agencies to permanently protect mature and old-growth forests as one of our most powerful natural climate solutions,” said Madeline Cowen, grassroots organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “Older forests filter our drinking water, remove climate pollution from the air we breathe, and increase our resilience to uncharacteristically severe wildfires. These forests are worth far more standing.”

Cascadia Wildlands invites the public to join us and our partner organizations for an Earth Day Rally for Forests and Climate on Saturday, April 22nd, in Eugene, Oregon, calling for lasting protections for public mature and old-growth forests from logging.

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The post Press Release: Federal Agencies Release Joint Report on Mature and Old-Growth Forests first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2023
 
Press Contacts:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Dylan Plummer, Sierra Club
                     
Eugene, Ore. — The City of Eugene voted five to three tonight to phase out fossil fuels like gas in new homes and buildings, a historic step that will cut climate pollution, improve air quality, and lower utility bills for households. The vote from the City Council delivered a major victory to the dozens of climate, environmental justice, health, housing and racial justice groups who organized for more than two years in favor of the policy.
 
“After years of deliberation, Eugene has taken a critical step to cut dangerous air pollution and meet its climate goals with the passage of this ordinance,” said Eugene City Councilor Emily Semple. “With this policy, our city is now set to help lead Oregon in a just transition to clean renewable electricity in homes.”
 
The ordinance approved by the Council requires that all new residential construction, including single-family homes and multi-family buildings three stories and below, be constructed all-electric starting June 30, 2023.
 
Eugene is the 97th city across the country to pass a climate policy incentivizing or requiring electric appliances in new homes and buildings. New all-electric homes in Eugene cut climate pollution by 74% compared to homes that burn gas, while lowering utility bills by nearly $400 dollars annually, according to an analysis from RMI. 
 
“Burning fossil fuels in homes poses an imminent threat to our health and climate. It’s clear we cannot let this source of pollution grow unchecked. I am proud of our City’s leadership in paving the way for local governments across Oregon to take this step in transitioning new homes to clean energy,”said Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis. 
 
In addition to warming the planet, gas appliances are also a major source of air pollution, both indoors and out. A literature review of the dozens of studies connecting gas appliances like stoves in homes with dangerous air quality prompted the health department in Multnomah County, Oregon to recommend a transition away from gas appliances last year. A recent study from RMI, University of Sydney, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that more than 12% – or one in eight – of childhood asthma cases nationwide can be attributed to gas stove pollution. 
 
“Communities of color in Eugene are more likely to breathe hazardous air in our neighborhoods – our homes should be places of refuge, not one more source of pollution for overburdened lungs. The City of Eugene took an important step today to increase access to healthy all-electric homes,” said Jerrel Brown, environmental and climate justice organizer with the NAACP Eugene-Springfield. 
 
The vote from the City of Eugene came despite fierce opposition from Oregon’s largest gas utility, NW Natural. In the months leading up to the vote, NW Natural angered some Council members by pursuing a range of scare tactics to dissuade the City from moving forward with the climate policy, including providing misleading verbal and written communications to the Council. 
 
“In the face of an aggressive misinformation campaign from NW Natural and the fossil fuel industry at large, local leaders in Eugene have taken a bold step to achieve its climate targets and protect the public from air pollution,” said Dylan Plummer, Senior Campaign Representative with the Sierra Club. “Elected officials across Oregon should follow Eugene’s lead. Local leadership in standing up to polluters has never been more important.” 
 
NW Natural’s misinformation campaign extended outside of Eugene, to communities across Oregon considering electrification measures. Last week, the New York Times reported that in Multnomah County, NW Natural hired a toxicologist with ties to Big Tobacco, to testify at a County hearing, attempting to cast doubt on the science connecting gas stoves to health harms. Records also show that another expert from Gradient Corp sent written testimony to the Eugene City Council on behalf of NW Natural, which was later forwarded to Oregon legislators. Last week, organizations with the Fossil Free Eugene Coalition submitted comments to the City highlighting Dr. Goodman and NW Natural’s false and misleading claims.
 
“The passage of Oregon’s first electrification ordinance is a tremendous victory for the public health and safety of Eugene residents,” said David De La Torre, healthy climate program director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. “As communities across Oregon continue to face the impacts of the COVID 19 crisis and wildfire smoke, it is critical local governments are taking action to reduce exposure to pollutants that contribute to respiratory health impacts, and which increase risk and vulnerability to serious illness.” 
 
Phasing out gas in new homes and buildings is an important first step, and advocates now hope that policy makers in Eugene will work to expand access to electric appliances in existing homes. 
 
“It is already challenging enough to find affordable and accessible housing in Eugene. No tenant should be forced to put their health in harm’s way to put a roof over their head,” noted Timothy Morris, Executive Director of the Springfield Eugene Tenants Association. “We are glad that the City of Eugene has voted to expand access to healthy all-electric homes for future renters.” 
 
Starting this year, Oregon households will be able to take advantage of federal incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act to support the transition to healthy electric appliances – including up to $8,000 per household for an electric heat pump, $1,750 for a heat pump water heater, and $840 for an electric stove. 
 
“We applaud Eugene for taking this significant step toward enlivening our city’s Climate Action Plan, protecting public health, and building a more resilient community,” said Bethany Cotton conservation director with Cascadia Wildlands. “We look forward to working with the city on the next steps to ensure the community can easily access electrification incentives and ensure a just transition off of fossil fuel reliance in buildings and transportation.”
 
“The most vulnerable families in our community may not be aware that every moment they spend cooking to feed their families, they are breathing in poisonous gasses and chemicals that can cause serious diseases like asthma or increase the risk of pneumonia. Yet, these same families are often renters, without the say-so in what appliances are installed in their homes. With the help of ordinances based on public health concerns such as the action taken by Eugene’s City Council today, homes and apartments of the future will be safer because electric appliances don’t emit toxic pollution,” said Lisa Arkin, Executive Director of Beyond Toxics.
 
Find free-to-use photos and footage here. Please attribute to the Fossil Free Eugene Coalition.
 

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The post Press Release: Eugene becomes first city in Oregon to phase out gas in new construction as electrification movement grows first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Media Contact:
Dylan Plummer, Grassroots Organizer, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463

Over Fifty Organizations Release Green New Deal Plan for Pacific Northwest Forests

Environmental and Social Justice Organizations Release Sweeping Platform Charting Pathway Forward for Forest Policy In the Era of Climate Change

Oregon, Washington, & California – Today, dozens of forest and climate justice organizations across northern California, Oregon, and Washington released a sweeping Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests platform calling for the transformation of current forest practices on private, state, and federal land in the face of the climate crisis and ecological collapse. The platform emphasizes the critical role that the forests of the Pacific Northwest must play in efforts to mitigate climate change and to safeguard communities from climate impacts such as wildfire and drought. The six pillars of the Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests address the intersecting issues of industrial logging, climate change, species collapse, economic injustice and the disempowerment of frontline communities. 

Matt Stevenson, a high-schooler, and the leader of the Forest Team of Sunrise Movement PDX, a youth organization focused on climate justice, said:

“As a high schooler, I have grown up without much hope for my future, and with the knowledge that my generation may inherit a broken and desolate earth. Industrial forestry practices and the timber industry is one of the largest causes of this hopelessness, one of the leading destructive forces of the Pacific Northwest, and the single largest carbon emitter in Oregon. If I, or my generation, wants any hope of a liveable future we must fundamentally transform the way we treat our forests.”

Ellen Sciales, Press Secretary for the Sunrise Movement, said:

“Cities and states play a vital role in beginning the decade of the Green New Deal at the local level and providing new models for effective climate action. The Green New Deal Plan for Pacific Northwest Forests is an exciting, visionary governing project that will do just that. Young people all over this country are calling for change to protect the people and places we love. Sunrise Movement wholeheartedly supports this platform because we have everything to lose if we don’t act now.”

Michael Beasely, fire behavior analyst and retired fire-chief of the Inyo National Forest, said:

“The six pillars of the PNW Green New Deal lay out a path that provides job opportunities for disadvantaged workers to be true heroes in the eyes of rural communities as they conduct fuel reduction close to homes and infrastructure where it matters most, in the home ignition zone. In turn forests can be allowed to fulfill the full range of ecosystem services, sequestration of carbon and clean water most importantly, all the while allowing for rewilding of the most remote areas, complete with intact ecosystem processes like naturally-occurring fires.”

The Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests calls not only for a transformation of industrial logging to protect forests, waterways and communities, but also for a jobs guarantee and increased government investments in climate resilience for frontline communities. In line with the intersectional movement for climate justice, the platform outlines a clear path forward for governments at all levels to utilize the invaluable forests of the Pacific Northwest as a tool to address the many crises facing the region and the country.

Samantha Krop, Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member of Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, said: 

“The Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests is a rallying cry from the forest defense and climate justice movements. From city-dwelling environmentalists to rural loggers, we all want just jobs, climate-safe communities, and healthy forested watersheds. Industrial logging undercuts these shared values by degrading the landbase, poisoning our watersheds, outsourcing local jobs and fueling climate chaos. The Green New Deal platform gives voice to the kinds of changes needed to actualize a possible future where forest defense and a just transition are part of our climate solution.”

Dr. Erik Loomis, prominent labor historian and Associate Professor with the University of Rhode Island, said:

“The Pacific Northwest’s vast forests helped build America and the Northwest’s working class. Climate change is transforming the world and the working class will suffer the most from its effects. A Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests takes us on a path forward for a sustainable environment and economy that will store carbon, provide the rural Northwest jobs and infrastructure, and invest in the region’s most marginalized communities. Not only can we afford this plan, but the price of not embarking on it is too horrific to contemplate.”

Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist with Wild Heritage, a Project of Earth Island Institute, said:

“Older forests in the Pacific Northwest forests store more carbon per acre than tropical rainforests — both need to be protected as proven nature-based climate solutions. The PNW Green New Deal makes it clear that to avoid climate catastrophe, we must not only leave dinosaur-carbon in the ground, but advocate for policy change to more effectively store atmospheric carbon in our region’s forests.”

The landscape-oriented Pacifc Northwest platform dovetails with the national Green New Deal as championed by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), along with congressional members from the Oregon, Washington and California delegations such as Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Pramila Jayapal.The Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests offers a vision for a just transition away from destructive forest practices and struggling economies toward a vibrant workforce dedicated to restoration, recreation, education and climate-smart practices for forests and forest dependent communities. 

Dr. Chad Hanson, Director & Principal Ecologist of the John Muir Project, a Project of Earth Island Institute, & Sierra Club Board Member, said:    

“Hundreds of climate scientists and ecologists are telling policymakers that logging is a major source of carbon emissions, and we must do more to protect our forests so they can draw down atmospheric carbon. This goes hand in hand with a just transition, because we know that real prosperity in rural communities is tied mainly to forest protection, not degradation and exploitation.”

Chandra LeGue, Western Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild, said: 

“To address the unprecedented threat that climate change poses to our society, we must recognize that forest defense is community defense, and that by protecting our forested ecosystems, we also safeguard the diverse communities that rely on them. The Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest forests provides a roadmap for the Biden administration to advance justice and address climate change by protecting and restoring our treasured forests.”

Background and Additional Resources:

Read the executive summary and the full platform for a Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests here.

Read reporting about the role that Pacific Northwest forests can play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Read reporting about strategies to lessen the threat of wildfire to communities across the west. Read the U.S. House and Senate resolutions on the Green New Deal.

Logging is the number one source of emissions in the state of Oregon, and emits far more carbon than transportation or residential and commercial sectors (Law et al. 2018). While similar research has not been completed in Washington and California, we can assume that logging in these states have similar climate impacts. Studies have also shown that, if left unlogged, forests of the Pacific Northwest could sequester massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and significantly contribute to global efforts to mitigate the climate crisis (Buotte et al. 2019). Groups across the region are rallying around a Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests in order to protect these invaluable carbon stores.

The climate crisis, which is being driven in part by industrial logging, increases risk and severity of wildfire (Abatzoglou and Williams 2016). Industrial logging also directly increases wildfire impacts due to the resulting monoculture tree plantations, which allow fire to burn more severely and spread more quickly (Zald et al. 2018). On the other hand, forests with a greater degree of protection have lower wildfire risk (Bradley et al. 2016). Implementing measures such as home-hardening, the creation of defensible space and zoning limits allows communities to adapt to the effects of increasing wildfire on the landscape (Syphard 2019). Investments in home-hardening and community resilience are pieces of the Green New Deal for Pacific Northwest Forests

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