‘For us climate action never dies’: a legislative process analysis of environmental movement tactics in Oregon

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, I discuss how environmental groups in Oregon have intervened in the legislative process in the last 5 years to advocate for climate policy. Methodologically, I draw on 76 interviews with Oregon legislators, state staff members, professional lobbyists, and environmental leaders, as well as participant observation and archival research. I describe how environmental groups work to influence policymaking by: (1) recruiting and positioning legislative champions on environmental committees, (2) building relationships with legislators and following the conventions of the arena (interactional decorum, incremental timeline), and (3) shoring up legislator’s commitments by framing climate policy as an ‘economic engine.’ I argue that relationships between environmental leaders and political elites are a key mechanism in the progression of the cap and invest bill through the legislative process and the development of the 2020 executive order on climate. However, subtle forms of polarization like bipartisan norms within unified governments remain a significant barrier to achieving policy goals on climate.