Oregon officials are considering promoting hydrogen vehicles, incentivizing renewables for data centers and working to lower beef consumption in a bid to get back on track to meeting climate goals.
A greenhouse gas emissions reduction forecast released last fall found that Oregon is set to be short of its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, as well as an interim goal of 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. Both goals are tied to a 2020 executive order from former Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.
The expected misses were a departure from modeling released in 2023, which projected that the state would meet those goals. But increasing demand from data centers, coupled with Trump administration policies rolling back fuel economy standards, have shifted the state’s trajectory, the report found.
To help close the gap, the Oregon Department of Energy and the Oregon Climate Action Commission have proposed 48 gap measures the state could take to drive down greenhouse gas emissions. Officials will collect public comment on the proposals, with modeling results to be released in May. A final report that details the emissions impact of the measures — and which would be most effective — is scheduled to be released by June 30.
