Global warming gets a hearing

I heard from the Oregon Environmental Council today that three bills aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and imposing tougher regulations on utilities and large industrial emitters will have their first hearing -- a joint House and Senate committee meeting -- next Wednesday at the capitol. Legislators will be briefed tonight and the public will be allowed to testify next week. The introduction of the bills is cutting it really close, the deadline to be out of committee is April 30. But the bills would go a long way toward bringing Oregon up to speed with our West Coast neighbors and could actually enforce the goals the state set 15 years ago for greenhouse gas reductions, should they all pass.