Issues

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Blueprint for Oregon's Future

The Challenges We Face in Meeting Our Goals

By 2040, Oregon’s population is projected to grow by 1.7 million people – equal to more than 135 new cities the size of La Grande, or 80 new Newbergs, or 22 new Bends. These new Oregonians will need about 700,000 new homes and 800,000 new jobs. Where will these people live, work, shop, learn, and play? How will they get from place to place?

We will face challenges from expanded international trade, skyrocketing obesity rates and health care costs, exploding transportation costs, and a carbon-constrained economy.

And climate change will define Oregon’s future. Our mountain snow packs and agricultural microclimates are as much at risk as arctic icecaps and low-lying communities across the world. Taking action will protect Oregon’s farming industry, ski industry, wine industry, and tourism industry, and help protect us from invasive species that could ruin our food supply and damage our health. Aggressive action will also benefit fish and wildlife species and natural ecosystems that would otherwise face radical changes, and protect our forests from fires and invasive pests. Taking action will make our economy more robust and resilient in the carbon-constrained future.

In light of our common goals and shared vision of the legacy we want to leave our children, we will be forced to answer difficult questions:

• Will we pave over 150,000 acres of pristine farm and forest land, fish and wildlife habitat, wetlands, streams, and significant natural resources to make room for new Oregonians, or will we find a better way to grow?


• Will we keep contributing to the global climate change that threatens our economy, natural ecosystems, fish and wildlife species, the health and well-being of our citizens, and the places that make Oregon special, or will we do our part to counter it?


• Will we once again give Oregonians a meaningful voice in deciding the future of our communities?


• Will we let international competition eliminate Oregon jobs and Oregon’s agricultural markets, or will we find ways to help our farmers and businesses compete in the global marketplace?


• Will we mortgage the state’s transportation budget for generations by building multi-billion dollar freeway expansions, or will we find more climate-friendly and cost-effective ways to move people and freight?

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