Fergus McLean

The Clean Energy Jobs bill, which will create jobs while reducing Oregon’s carbon footprint from 60 million tons a year to 50 million tons by 2025, is percolating in Salem in preparation for the 2018 legislative session. Work on the bill — Senate Bill 1070 — comes as new survey data reveal that Oregon’s forests absorb 36 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, more than half the state’s entire previously known carbon footprint. …It’s difficult to exaggerate the possible economic importance for Oregon of the amount of carbon we now know our forests sequester. …By authorizing the trading of Elliott Forest carbon credits in the language of SB 1070, lawmakers can launch a brand-new economic paradigm for Oregon’s forests.