Oregonians are reacting to news that President Donald Trump is withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.
Gov. Kate Brown said the state has a strong tradition of fighting climate change and will not back down.
“Global climate change is the most significant issue that we face," she said.
"Future generations will judge us not on the fact of global climate change, but what we’ve done to tackle it.”
She called the president ‘irresponsible,' saying that leading U.S. companies recognize the need to address climate change and are wisely investing in clean energy.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley said the move will damage the planet, hurt the economy by not investing in clean energy and undermine national security by creating more natural disaster refugees.
Oregon’s only Republican Rep. Greg Walden, did not condemn the move. Instead, he issued a statement saying: “We remain committed to modernizing our energy infrastructure, updating energy programs of the past, and putting consumer interests first.”
He also said technology developments in energy generation have the ability to produce better outcomes for consumers and the environment.
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
