Gov. Kate Brown vowed on Monday to take aggressive action on climate change following the surprise, last-minute defeat of Democrats' high-priority cap-and-trade bill that would have mandated such action.
The divide in Oregon between the state's liberal cities and its conservative and economically depressed rural areas has made it fertile ground for the political crisis unfolding over a push by Democrats to enact sweeping climate legislation.
Natural gas utilities and some of their customers are pushing back on Oregon's new climate plan, saying the proposed cap and spend bill would lead to immediate and major rate increases, and only get worse as time goes on.
