| Remarks by Governor Ted Kulongoski |
|
|
 |
| May 1, 2006 |
|
Corvallis Green Power Community Event
Good afternoon. Thank you, Teresa, for the introduction. Thank you, Congresswoman Hooley, for joining us today and for your leadership on behalf of the citizens of Oregon in the United States Congress. I also want to thank the EPA, for coming out to Oregon for this monumental day and to Pacific Power for your role in helping me advance my vision for Oregon as a leader on renewable energy consumption and production.
If we are serious about increasing our use of renewable energy, companies like Pacific Power and your Blue Sky program are absolutely essential. I don’t have to tell anyone here that renewable energy and alternative fuel industries are market-driven. It is the demand from consumers that drives the market.
To anyone who wonders whether there’s a demand in Oregon for renewable and alternative fuels, I say, “Look no further than the community of Corvallis.”
To the city leaders, business partners and citizens of Corvallis who have always been conscientious about how choices affect communities, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for proving the point that the people of Oregon are serious about the future of their environment and their economy. Thank you for showing the way.”
There is no better proof of this visionary leadership than today’s designation as Oregon’s first “Green Power Community.” You also happen to be the West Coast’s first and the nation’s third “Green Power Community”! So, congratulations to you all who have shown the world what I’ve known all along: that Oregon is positioned to become a leader in renewable energy production and use.
Just last month, I visited Oregon State University to learn more about the revolutionary research under way in Wave Energy, and its potential for diversifying our options for alternative energy sources. And as many of you know, one of my priority bills in the next session of the legislation will establish a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, putting Oregon on path to derive 25 percent of its total energy use from renewable energy sources by the year 2025.
Some say that my goal is too ambitious. But with the work already under way in renewable energy technology – and the clear demand from the citizens – I believe this goal achievable. This issue is blind to politics and regional differences. It’s not an issue that belongs exclusively to Democrats or Republicans. It’s an issue all of us must care about and act upon – no matter where we live and work – no matter what we do for a living. It’s an issue that transcends economic and social distinctions. It’s an issue that will affect our children, our future and our world.
Having spoken with many of you and with many others throughout Oregon, I have sensed strong public support for an aggressive effort to transform our state, our region and our country into a new kind of energy consumer. As I travel the state, I find that one of the issues Oregonians worry most about is our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. They worry about the price of gasoline, about our country’s ability to sustain our reliance on fossil fuels, and how this dependence will impact our economy and our national security.
People need fuel to get to work. They need it to farm the land. As a state that relies on manufacturing and trade, we need to make transporting people and commerce and goods more efficient and more affordable.
I’m clearly not alone in my concern about renewable energy and a sustainable world, and that’s gratifying. At the same time, we face a tremendous challenge. That challenge is to create a better understanding of why this issue is important to our quality of life and our economic security.
Oregonians want a bright future with clear skies. They want clean, renewable energy – because it’s good for our environment and for our pocketbooks. But reducing dependence on foreign oil and investing in alternative energy sources here at home is also healthy for our economy.
The citizens of Corvallis know that. The businesses in Corvallis know that. And all of us here today know that. As I look around this crowd of people, I see partners from the private sector, public sector and individual citizens who share my belief that Oregon can and will be a national leader in renewable energy use and production.
To me, today is another step in that direction – and I want to congratulate all of you again – and particularly the citizens of Corvallis – for helping establish Oregon as a leader in one of the most important challenges to our nation’s future.
|
|
|
|
