My name is Dr. Jennifer Krauel, and I live here in Portland. I’m here today as an Oregonian and a member of the climate action group Scientist Rebellion. I’m here to share my support for restoring a strong climate protection program by the end of this year.
As a scientist, I am terrified by climate change. We’re already seeing the effects right here, but somehow, we are still acting like it’s OK to carry on like normal. People right here are already suffering and dying from pollution, and yet here we are still debating the value of a plan to protect them. The choice is not about giving something up – it’s about moving into a world with clean air and water, healthy people and environment, and jobs and transportation that will benefit all of us. I urge DEQ to avoid starting off with free allowances or delayed compliance – we need to ramp reductions now! And please include all pollution, including process emissions, under mandatory limits.
As a scientist, I urge you to be skeptical about promises from fossil fuel providers, particularly Northwest Natural Gas. They are in business to sell methane, which is more than 28 times more heat trapping than CO2. They recently mixed “blue hydrogen” into gas where I live in SE Portland, without warning. They generate it from methane at a very steep price tag, be sure to follow the money. It’s dangerous, and it’s greenwashing. Why not just leave it all in the ground and put our efforts toward, I don’t know, something that is not destroying our planet?
Thank you for your time and consideration, and I once again urge you to restore the Climate Protection Program by the end of this year, so that we can get back to the urgent work of investing in low-income, rural and communities of color who have borne the brunt of climate and economic injustice for too long.