Oregon Public Broadcasting

Governor Ted Kulongoski signed a series of environmental bills Wednesday. The seven new laws are meant to level off greenhouse gas emissions and help fight global warming. KLCC's Rachael McDonald reports.

The governor signed the bills at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business, which is considered the greenest business school in the country. He says the climate change legislation will help build Oregon's green economy.

Ted Kulongoski: “But this issue about climate change, and I just want everybody to understand as much as we sometimes like to think about this as just an environmental issue about the quality of air, water or quality of life, it is a tremendous economic issue for us.”

The new laws reduce emissions from cars and trucks through a low-carbon fuel standard, promote solar energy in homes, and control emissions from power plants and industry.