Q: What was the greatest thing you learned this session?

A: I learned a lot about the process and the personalities in the Capitol.  That’s a good and necessary learning experience in it’s it own right.

Perhaps the greatest lesson for me was continuing to learn patience.  When you think you have a great idea you want to run with it and damn it you want everyone on board.  But a lot of good ideas are brought forward each session and there are a lot of other folks at the table.  That’s a good thing, it’s a virtue of the democratic process, and it makes for a creative and dynamic one at that.

Getting things done requires patient persistence and to some degree living day-in-and-day-out reconciling yourself with the unknown.  It’s our elected officials at the end of the day who are responsible for making the decisions.  As advocates we work to point to the right way forward, providing the best analysis and judgments we can and giving voice to Oregonians concerned about preserving our quality of life.  The rest is up to the Legislature.

Q: What was the biggest surprise?

A: The biggest surprise for me was the progress that was made on environmental issues.  I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the amount work we would get done this session.   Frankly, it still hasn’t sunk in.

Q: If the Legislature could do one thing differently to reduce its environmental footprint, what would it be? (Or, how would you green the capitol?)

A: This Legislature really put its stamp on clean energy.  Oregon truly stands to be a leader in renewable energy development in the coming years in large part to what was achieved this session.  The Capitol Building could stand as a symbol of Oregon’s leadership in this arena as it is does in so many other ways.  The state could commit to using green energy and upgrading to clean energy technologies, such as solar, in providing power to the building.  What a tribute to Oregon if someday wind farms in Gilliam County or wave power from Newport provided electricity to the State Capitol.

Q: What’s the best way to catch a legislator?

A: We’re lucky to have legislators and staff that are so accessible and eager to sit down and talk about issues, especially with their constituents.   As a lobbyist, timing is everything.  Being at the right place at the right time is a practiced art in Salem.  A lot of conversations happen in the halls around public hearings or outside legislators offices.   There are a lot of opportunities to catch up with lawmakers.

Q: What are some of the big differences between working in Salem and Capitol Hill?  Are there any striking similarities?

A: It was an honor to work in Congress.  It was a tremendous learning experience.  As a native Oregonian, I’ve always believed that we go about things better here than in Washington, D.C. and my experience in Salem hasn’t changed that view. The Legislature is far more open and accessible to citizen involvement.  There is a greater sense of community and the politics are far less polarized.

A lot of what gets done on Capitol Hill on a variety of issues has been tried first at the state level.  What we do in Oregon – the example we set -- can have a great impact on national policy.   The involvement and participation of Oregonians in our own Legislature can have farther reaching impacts than most might expect.   Oregon has proved that before and I expect will have a role in national change in the future.

Q: Even though you weren’t in Salem last year, you may be in a good position to extrapolate what some of the major differences were between this session and last. Any thoughts?

A: It’s really night and day given the momentum environmental issues had this session in comparison to last session.

There is no question in my mind that legislators of every stripe care about environmental stewardship.  It’s a shared value.  In many ways, its part of what it is to be an Oregonian.  When conflict arises over environmental legislation in the Legislature, it’s usually a difference in philosophy, not values.  And in the simplest terms, differences of opinion turn on whether addressing environmental problems is a public or private concern.  In other words, should public structures partner in solutions or is it better left solely to individuals, private enterprise and the market.

The first big difference between this session and last was the commitment of the House and Senate leadership to addressing environmental issues.  Second, there was greater support for efforts to engage public institutions and public investment in much broader ways to improve stewardship of our air, land and water and promote clean energy.

Q: Would you characterize your first session as a success?

A: It was a success in many ways.  We did a lot of work together as an organization to help craft good policy and build broad support for our issues before session began.  This has been a great team effort throughout to which almost everyone at OEC has contributed and been involved.

Q: What do you think Oregon can count as its greatest gain from this session?

A: I think Oregonians will benefit on at least two fronts.  First, the majority in the Legislature and the Governor said we’re going to fix Measure 37 and they did.  It isn’t perfect but it’s a strong solution.  Oregonians want fairness in our land use laws and they want to be protected from unchecked sprawl eating up farmland and forests and diminishing the quality of life and special character of our state.  I think we win on both counts with what was hammered out this session.  Now its up to all of us Oregonians to vote it up or down in November.  Our job isn’t done just yet but there is much to be gained if we say yes to fixing Measure 37.

Secondly, we saw large bipartisan majorities in both chambers pass a Renewable Energy Standard and a Renewable Fuels Standard for the state.  I think that’s a real credit to the Legislature and a big win for Oregonians.  Oregon stands to gain both environmentally and economically with a whole host of renewable energy sources -- wind, solar, geothermal and wave energy  -- being developed and produced here at home.  The same goes for cleaner fuels being blended from feedstocks grown east of the Cascades and elsewhere around the state.  Both these efforts will reduce our dependence on foreign fossil fuels and help to do our share to confront global warming.  And the best part is that all of this can help drive economic development throughout the state, especially in rural Oregon.

What was personally rewarding was to see the extent to which a diverse set of Oregonians came together in the process of crafting and promoting these two pieces of legislation.  Farmers and ranchers, environmental and consumer advocates, business and labor, elected and civic leaders from local communities both urban and rural around the state.  We may have had differences, but we all worked together to do the right thing for our state.   I think that’s a model we can and ought to build on in future sessions of the Legislature.