Oregon has multiple paths to cutting emissions nearly in half by 2030

Oregon has long been a national leader in climate action. It was the first state to eliminate coal from its electricity mix and was an early adopter of transportation electrification. Despite this progress, the state was 26% over its 2020 emissions target. The Oregon Department of Energy needed rigorous analysis to chart a faster, more ambitious path to its updated goals.

SSG built a customized, county-level energy and emissions model for Oregon. 15 existing programs and regulations were modeled, showing that their proper implementation is capable of meeting the 2035 target. SSG modeled 35 additional actions for buildings, transportation, energy, and industry, identifying two pathways that achieve the same goal five years earlier. The analysis quantified financial, health, and equity co-benefits for each action, giving Oregon’s Legislature the evidence and confidence needed to prioritize and accelerate climate action.

SSG led stakeholder engagement with nine state agencies and 95 public participants to develop and refine a list of potential emission reduction actions. The actions were modeled in two scenarios: Electrification and Hybrid (which incorporated alternative fuel options). 23 of the actions were the same in the scenarios while  12 actions were unique to each.. The analysis went beyond traditional least-cost methods, to quantify health, equity, and jobs co-benefits for each action to help decision-makers weigh the full value of Oregon’s climate investments.

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