Oregon legislators are poised to pass a pollution-busting bill and put Oregon on track to meet its climate goals. Some lawmakers and constituents wonder: is investing in clean energy really worth it? Couldn’t we just make polluters pay and leave it at that, instead of also re-investing the revenue in Oregon’s clean energy economy?

We ran the numbers to find out how many new jobs, less pollution, and other benefits Oregon’s investments could generate. Check it out, and feel free to share under our free use policy.

For more details and sources, see our tables here.

Tidelands Restoration

Oregon Clean Energy Jobs bill 2019
Original Sightline Institute graphic by Kelsey Hamlin, available under our free use policy. Photo: Mike Hipple. 

Solar

Oregon Clean Energy Jobs Bill 2019
Original Sightline Institute graphic by Kelsey Hamlin, available under our free use policy. Photo: Mike Hipple. 

Forest Management

Oregon Clean Energy Jobs Bill
Original Sightline Institute graphic by Kelsey Hamlin, available under our free use policy. Photo: Mike Hipple. 

Energy Efficiency

Oregon Clean energy jobs bill
Original Sightline Institute graphic by Kelsey Hamlin, available under our free use policy. Photo: Mike Hipple. 

Bike Infrastructure

Clean Energy Jobs Bill 2019
Original Sightline Institute graphic by Kelsey Hamlin, available under our free use policy. Photo: Mike Hipple. 

Michael Peñuelas is a researcher and community organizer for food and energy systems that are secure, sovereign, and resilient. He has degrees in Earth System Science and in Environmental Policy and Management from Stanford University.