About OCERA 

We knew we had something special when we realized how many different people and organizations had the same thing in mind -- at the same time!  Climate Vigil, Our Children's Trust, people with the Environmental Caucus of DPO, and others -- We decided to merge our efforts into one state-wide coalition in January 2024, the Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment, working together toward the People's Right to a Healthy Environment.  

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• March 2024 - We introduced the idea for an Environmental Rights Amendment at University of Oregon's Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, providing a panel discussion on this initiative, which received a standing-room-only level of interest and support.

• May 2024 - We held our first organizing meeting in Salem, attended by over a hundred like-minded and like-hearted advocates curious about what this proposed solution can do, and how everyone can help out.

• Summer 2024 - After passing out as many invitations to collaborate as we could (beginning upon first formation in January), those who were interested in collaborating, to include attorneys from academia, private practice, nonprofit practice, and other relevant constitutional law experience, worked on drafting amendment language all summer long.

• September 2024 - Senator Golden filed a bill, SJR 28, for the Right to a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.  Over the course of the 2025 legislative session, it was cosponsored by 24 legislators (6 chief co-sponsors and 18 regular co-sponsors, about evenly split between both houses).

• December 2024 - OCERA participated in Lobby Days at the State Capitol.

• February / March 2025 - OCERA participated in U of O's PIELC with another panel, again with standing-room-only attendance.

• March 26, 2025 - The Senate Rules Committee (where three of the five members were sponsors of SJR 28, to include the Chair) had a hearing on the referral, where 39 testified in support and 253 submitted written comments in support.  The Capitol building had to open two hearing rooms to hold the number of attendees to the hearing.  By all accounts, it was a successful event.

  • However, the bill was never brought to a working session nor voted on to move it out of committee.

• May 2025 - OCERA filed to begin a Citizens' Initiative, to petition and gather over 200k Oregon voter signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot.  We were fortunate to be powered by so many volunteers who were able to go out in ONE WEEKEND to collect enough sponsor signatures to begin the ballot title process.​

• June - July 2025 - The Attorney General's office drafted a poor ballot title for our initiative petition, and despite on-point public comments to guide the AG's office back to an impartial and accurate representation of the amendment, it was certified with errors intact.

• August 2025 - Strategic conversations led to a proposed reset for the Citizens' Initiative, to restart the campaign for the 2028 ballot.  At the monthly coalition meeting, attendees came to consensus that OCERA would indeed reset, starting with a focus on large-scale funding, etc.  Reset will occur through September and October 2025.

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(Part of the reset is to provide you more information about the members of our Strategy Team, so stay tuned for that update, right here!)

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