All but one member of Oregon’s congressional delegation is urging President Donald Trump to rescind an executive order that targets state climate efforts, saying it tramples states’ rights.
In a letter sent last week to the White House, seven Democrats said the executive order is “an unprecedented and illegal attempt to undermine states’ sovereignty to enforce their own laws.”
The letter calls on Trump to withdraw the executive order — called “Protecting American Energy from State Overreach” — which directs the Justice Department to block any state climate policies “burdening” energy development. That includes nearly 40 lawsuits that local governments have filed against the fossil fuel industry to recoup the costs of dealing with climate change.
The letter notes the state already is experiencing the effects of climate change, including increased wildfires and a deadly Pacific Northwest heat dome that killed more than 100 people in 2021. The state has not filed a lawsuit, but Oregon’s Multnomah County, where 69 people died, filed a lawsuit against the oil and gas industry in 2023, seeking compensation for climate change.
