Water

As summer is upon us, the Oregon Conservation Network, Oregon’s Largest Environmental Coalition, is in the process of choosing its “Priorities for a Healthy Oregon” for the 2011 session. As we make these decisions, we are all very aware of the tough choices Oregon is facing, and looking for innovative solutions to help the State meet its budget challenges and protect Oregon’s environment.

You no doubt know by now that this nation is facing one of the worst environmental disaters in our history.

An oil platform in the the Gulf of Mexico exploded and then sank, creating a disaterous oil leak. If not for an election in a few weeks here in Oregon, I would probably be writing about it daily. Instead, I have been doing my best to track the story and now have a moment to reflect on what it means for the Gulf Coast and Oregon.

In The Portland Tribune's Sustainable Life section, published today, you can read an interview by Steve Law with recently departed OLCV executive director Jonathan Poisner.

You care about Oregon's environmental legacy.

Do your legislators?

In the only thorough assessment of how Oregon legislators vote on the environment, the scores tell the story: most legislators backed stronger environmental stewardship a majority of the time.