BEST supports state efforts towards Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities
BEST recently joined partners across Oregon to support state efforts towards Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC).
A letter urged the Oregon Land Conservation & Development Commission (LCDC) to:
- Designate and implement Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs).
- Use reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as a key performance standard and metric.
- Keep the existing CFEC rulemaking adoption & implementation timeline.
- Provide resources to local jurisdictions for CFEC implementation through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
In addition to BEST, the letter was signed by 1000 Friends of Oregon, Bend Bikes, Central Oregon LandWatch, Oregon Environmental Council, The Environmental Center, and Jonathan Harker, AICP.
On March 10, 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-04, directing state agencies to reduce climate pollution. In response, LCDC is working on updating Oregon’s Transportation Planning Rules and related administrative rules.
The rulemaking is focused on significantly strengthening Oregon’s administrative rules about transportation and housing planning in Oregon’s eight urban areas with populations over 50,000 people: Albany, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene/Springfield, Grants Pass, Medford/Ashland, Portland Metro, Salem/Keizer.
LCDC will meet next on February 3, 2022, to discuss possible rule changes.