Governor Kate Brown,
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
toured Oregon State University’s wave research center to learn about the role
OSU students will play in the fight against climate change.
The visit to
Corvallis comes two days after Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction
Act Aug. 7, which attempts to tackle taxes, the cost of prescription drugs and
climate change.
The O.H. Hinsdale
Wave Research Laboratory located on the OSU campus conducts research on coastal
and nearshore processes, including what the elected officials came to learn
about: marine renewable energy.
“Anybody who’s been
in the ocean knows of its power,” Granholm said. “That power can be used to
generate energy to turn on the lights in your home, and that is very exciting
because we’re looking for clean renewable baseload power. Something like this
could be an elixir for what is needed.”
The bill includes
more than $300 billion to be spent on energy and climate reform, including $60
billion for growing renewable energy structure. The bill aims to lower carbon
emissions by 40% by 2030, down from the 50% President Joe Biden was originally
hoping for.
Merkley emphasized
that Oregon has some of the best potential wave energy in the world, and with
the wave facility at OSU, the state can be at the forefront of a clean energy
future.
Wyden touched on how
some fishing families and tribes have concerns about how these processes will
affect their industry, saying he will be sensitive to their needs “every step
of the way.”
“I don’t believe
that developing clean energy in the ocean and being sensitive to fishing
families and the tribes are mutually exclusive.”
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