Dear Friends,
Every Oregonian has a story about how climate disasters have impacted their life. Already this year, the Pacific Northwest has experienced unprecedented heat waves that killed hundreds of people and devastated communities. We also saw a wildfire powerful enough to create its own weather, and a record winter storm that left thousands without power in freezing temperatures for days.
And we’re not alone. Across the country, and the globe, climate disasters are causing unparalleled destruction at a dizzying pace, with marginalized and impoverished communities and people of color paying the highest price.
It’s time for us to get serious about the level of action needed to address these disasters. That’s why today, I’m releasing a report that lays out the threat posed by increasingly severe and frequent climate disasters, details the gaps in the federal government’s responses, and lays out the path forward. My report includes a legislative roadmap that I will be working to enact into law to give our communities a fighting chance.
CLICK HERE to read the report.
My agenda includes avoiding new developments in high-risk areas where residents would be put in harm’s way; prioritizing natural solutions to protect our coasts and marshes from rising sea levels; fixing inequities in disaster relief funding that have made it harder for low-income and marginalized people to receive the assistance they need to recover; updating regulations to properly inform communities, homeowners, and renters of the risk of climate change, and more.
The time for nibbling around the edges of climate resiliency is over. The federal government needs to step up and meet these events head on. I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen and will keep you updated along the way.
