Here are three great reasons to support the transition to a clean energy future:
1) Your health and the health of your children: Pollution from burning coal contaminates the air and is a leading cause of global warming. Rising temperatures increase visits to the ER, make lung diseases like asthma worse and affect heart health. Developing a clean energy economy now will preserve a clean air future for our kids - protecting their health for generations to come.
2) Real jobs for real Oregonians: Investing in clean energy will create demand for good-paying jobs with benefits, like engineers, secretaries and construction workers. These are jobs that can’t be outsourced because the work will be done here at home.
3) Lower bills for you and your community: Our economic modeling shows that transitioning from coal to renewables will lower utility bills in the long run for Oregonians across the state.
In the long run, transitioning to clean energy will actually lower the cost of energy for consumers. Prices for wind and solar have dropped to all-time lows and experts expect prices for wind, solar, and other renewables to keep declining well into the future. At the same time, coal has become increasingly financially risky.
Many things can raise or lower the rates we pay for electricity over 30 years, but our economic modeling shows that transitioning from coal to renewables will save customers money in the long term.
Business leaders, health advocates and communities across the state are working together to make Oregon a leader in clean energy innovation and to promote a more prosperous state. We’re standing with healthcare professionals, farmers, people of faith, parents, union members, communities of color, young activists and elders, artists and entrepreneurs – the people who make Oregon great. Together, we will secure healthier communities and a thriving economy for all.