Governor Kate Brown last week signed Senate Bill 1547, increasing renewable energy and eliminating coal from Oregon's energy sources.
"Knowing how important it is to Oregonians to act on climate change, a wide range of stakeholders came to the table around Oregonians' investments in coal and renewable energy," said Governor Brown. "Working together, they found a path to best equip our state with the energy resource mix of the future. Now, Oregon will be less reliant on fossil fuels and shift our focus to clean energy. I'm proud to sign a bill that moves Oregon forward, together with the shared values of current and future generations."
The new law will phase out coal-generated energy through 2030 and requires utilities to provide half of customers' power with renewable sources by 2040, doubling the state's previous standard.
Republican lawmakers in Oregon, the minority party in both statehouse chambers, tried to slow down the entire legislative process. The GOP raised concerns about cost increases to consumers' energy bills and questioned whether the environmental benefits were overstated.
