Two states have released statewide plans addressing the effects of climate change, with Oregon focusing on preparing communities for disasters and Illinois targeting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has released the Plan for a Resilient Oregon (PRO), a statewide strategy designed to help communities prepare for and recover from wildfires, floods, heat and other disasters. The plan is intended to guide state agencies and help shape the governor’s budget and other state decisions.
PRO was developed through statewide and regional resilience forums involving community organizations, state agencies, tribal nations, local governments, researchers and emergency managers. More than 4,000 Oregonians contributed to the effort, according to the state.
Among the recommendations are using a variety of communication systems, evacuation routes and methods for delivering aid so communities are not dependent on a single system during a disaster. The plan also calls for recognizing connections among power, transportation and other systems and considering disaster risk when making state infrastructure investments.
The plan was released as Oregon marks the sixth anniversary of the 2020 Labor Day fires. The fires, which spread rapidly during a period of dry conditions and high winds, burned more than 1 million acres and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures. Eleven people died. The disaster exposed vulnerabilities in the state’s emergency response and recovery systems and those shared experiences shaped the new resilience plan.
Illinois is taking a different approach, using its Comprehensive Climate Action Plan to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the state reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Illinois has already reduced emissions by 32 percent since 2005, but the plan says additional action will be needed.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency released the plan Sept. 10. The CCAP builds on the state’s earlier Priority Climate Action Plan and is supported by a $430 million federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant awarded to Illinois.
The plan says Illinois has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels. Emissions from the power sector have fallen 60 percent, largely because of a shift away from coal and toward lower-polluting power sources, while transportation emissions have fallen 24 percent.
The CCAP identifies policies that could extend those reductions. They include increasing incentives for electric vehicles, encouraging higher-density development to reduce vehicle miles traveled, expanding incentives for heat pumps and energy-efficiency improvements, electrifying lawn and landscaping equipment, reducing emissions from manufacturing and cement production, strengthening methane monitoring and expanding sustainable agriculture incentives.
The plan also calls for reducing emissions from coal mining and the oil and gas industry.
The Illinois plan models policies that, if adopted by the General Assembly, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions 72 percent from 2005 levels by 2050. The analysis estimates those policies could produce $21 billion per year in net benefits by 2050.
While Oregon’s plan is centered on helping communities prepare, respond and recover from disasters, Illinois’ plan focuses on reducing emissions and changing energy, transportation, building and industrial practices. Both plans, however, call for state planning and investment to address the risks associated with a changing climate.
Photo by Cara Denison from Pexels
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