Comment on Oregon’s Natural and Working Lands Climate Goals by July 2

Why this Matters

The Oregon Climate Action Commission (formerly the Global Warming Commission) is asking for public comment on its draft Natural and Working Lands Goal Setting Report. The commission periodically sets cross-agency goals that point state agencies toward shared action, and this report sets how ambitious a carbon-sequestration goal Oregon adopts for its forests, farms, wetlands, and waters. Comments are due by July 2, 2026 at 5 p.m. Oregon's lands already pull carbon out of the air at a large scale. The state's land-based net carbon sequestration ranks seventh highest in the nation, and the report says further investment in natural climate solutions would add to that. The draft offers three goal options:

Option 1 (the original 2021 proposal): sequester at least an additional 5 MMTCO2e per year by 2030, and at least 9.5 MMTCO2e per year by 2050, measured against a 2010 to 2019 business-as-usual baseline. The current rate is about 48 MMTCO2e per year.
Option 2: reach net sequestration of at least 53 MMTCO2e per year across all land categories by 2035.
Option 3: reach net sequestration of at least 57.5 MMTCO2e per year across all land categories by 2050.

All three options depend on adequately funding the natural-resource agencies that would do the work, from carbon monitoring to on-the-ground conservation. Why this matters here: our coastal forests, estuaries, and salt marshes, from the Siuslaw to the tide flats around Alsea Bay, are part of the natural and working lands this goal covers. How the state sets and funds the goal shapes the support those places get. The neighbors who flagged this for us are asking people to comment in support of Option 3, the most ambitious of the three, and to urge full funding for the natural-resource agencies, since climate and monitoring programs are often the first cut in the Ways and Means budget process. You are welcome to weigh in however reflects your own view. Comments are most useful when they are specific and in your own words.

Steps to Take

Step 1

Read the draft and the three goal options on the Oregon Climate Action Commission's Natural and Working Lands page. The full reports page has the supporting documents.

Step 2

Decide what you want to say. If you support a strong sequestration goal, Option 3 is the most ambitious of the three. Whichever you favor, the people who shared this action also ask that you mention the need to fully fund the natural-resource agencies that carry out the work. Firsthand detail about your corner of Oregon carries more weight than a form letter.

Step 3

Email your comment to OCAC@energy.oregon.gov before July 2, 2026 at 5 p.m. A clear subject line such as "Comment on the Natural and Working Lands Goal Setting Report" helps staff sort it.

Step 4

Pass it along. Share the email address and deadline with neighbors who care about Oregon's forests, farms, and coast so they can comment too.

Sample Text

Option 1

I am an Oregonian writing to comment on the Oregon Climate Action Commission's draft Natural and Working Lands Goal Setting Report. I support Option 3, net sequestration of at least 57.5 MMTCO2e per year across all land categories by 2050, as the most ambitious of the three goals. [Add a sentence or two about why this matters to you or your part of Oregon.] I also urge the Commission and the Legislature to fully fund the natural-resource agencies that do this work, since monitoring and conservation programs are too often the first to be cut in the budget process. Thank you for considering my comment.

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Option 2

I live on the Oregon Coast, where our forests, estuaries, and wetlands store carbon and support the wildlife and fisheries we depend on. I am commenting on the draft Natural and Working Lands Goal Setting Report to ask the Commission to [state the option you prefer and any concerns, in your own words] and to fully fund the agencies that carry out this work. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.