Why Oregon Needs an Environmental Rights Amendment

This is our first episode of 2025, and while we brace for the tidal wave of insanity coming our way on the federal level, we are also preparing for Oregon’s biennial legislative session.

If you don’t know, Oregon only has full legislative sessions in odd years, meaning that 2025 will be a big year for Oregon politics and policy.  Oregon’s session runs from late January through late June, but most of the important opportunities for public input happen early, in February and March.

I’ve been tracking a lot of bills as the session approaches, and I’ll do my best to highlight as many as possible as the session goes on.  For instance, we’ll have an episode coming up with my partners in the Oregon Ocean Alliance focusing on ocean and estuary protections, and I will be highlighting forest and climate bills as well.

Today, I’m speaking with Linda Perrine of Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment, or OCERA.  OCERA is a coalition of over 30 groups pushing for a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to a healthy environment into Oregon law.

As always, my email is [e-mail].  I’d love to know what you think of the show, and what you want us to cover this year.

Show Notes:

https://www.oceraunited.org/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CNYOofPtUe48ZB7qzXKk02KzJD4PTfwk/view

Montana youth lawsuit: https://grist.org/regulation/held-v-montana-youth-climate-lawsuit-supreme-court-decision/

https://www.instagram.com/coastrangeradio/