Contact: Leon Lindstrom, (503) 349-6033

On Saturday March 24, from 9 to 11 am, Representative Cannon will host a House District 46 environmental forum at Mt. Tabor, focusing on environmental legislation during the current legislative session and environmental goals for 2008 and 2009. The public is invited and welcome.

The Oregon Legislature is considering a number of key environmental issues year. Renewable-energy standards and Measure 37 reform are two top priorities.

On unanimous 7-0 votes, the House Committee on Energy and the Environment, on which Rep. Cannon serves, passed a package of bills (HB 2210, 2211, 2212) designed to reduce dependence on foreign oil and jumpstart Oregon's rural economy. The full Legislature and the Governor will ultimately decide the state of the bills, which would require all fuel sold in Oregon to contain either 10% ethanol or 5% biodiesel, produced locally. This is the first of several pieces of clean-energy policy that the Legislature will consider in 2007.

The 2004 passage of Measure 37 and a subsequent wave of development claims have threatened Oregon's renowned rural and urban planning system, and along with it the smart grouping of farms and residential density that makes our state special. The Legislature and the governor are considering plans to restore fairness to the land use system this legislative session.

Healthy air, water, and land are critical to Oregon's economic future and livability. We must build on our region's heritage as a leader in conservation, land-use planning, public transportation, recycling, and pollution reduction. The issues go beyond those listed here, and securing the state's environmental future will require much more than we can accomplish this year in the Legislature. The March 24 environmental forum will address current legislation, and will also consider goals for 2008 and beyond.

Oregon is well-positioned to be a leader in a cleaner, renewable economy, but it will require planning, diligence, and the active participation of citizens in the public process. The forum on March 24 is a key piece of working through the details of legislation in the 2007 session and building energy for long-term environmental reform in Oregon.

Rep. Cannon is honored to co-host this event with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Citizens' Utility Board of Oregon, the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, and the Oregon Conservation Network.