FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 30th, 2026
CONTACT: Masayo Simon, Masayo@RogueClimate.org, (541) 852-2883
Students across the Rogue Valley demand fossil fuel corporations pay for climate damages
Youth coordinate school walkouts across the Rogue Valley; join national week of action to Make Polluters Pay
[ROGUE VALLEY, OR] —On Friday, January 30th, hundreds of students across the Rogue Valley walked out of school to urge Oregon elected officials to pass a bill that would require the world’s largest fossil fuel polluters to take accountability for the damage they have caused to the climate and communities. This was a coordinated walkout as part of the Make Polluters Pay campaign’s National Week of Action, involving four different Rogue Valley high schools, including South Medford High School, Ashland High School, Crater High School, and Eagle Point High School.
Students from each school held four separate rallies throughout the day, with speakers, songs, art, and chants.
“In my lifetime, I’ve already seen wildfires harm my community, been forced to stay inside during deadly heatwaves, and missed school for extreme winter weather. Big fossil fuel corporations knowingly caused these disasters and they should pay for the impacts, not my family,” said Keeya Wiki, Ashland High School Senior and member of Rogue Climate Action Team.
These walkouts were led by members of the youth-led Rogue Climate Action Team (RCAT), which has recently joined Rogue Climate and partners across the state to form Oregon’s Make Polluters Pay campaign. The campaign aims to pass the Climate Resilience Superfund bill, which would require the largest out-of-state fossil fuel companies to pay for the climate damages they caused from their emissions produced between 1994-2024. The campaign recognizes that people in Oregon currently foot the bill for disaster recovery, relief, and prevention–and is working to shift that burden on to the fossil fuel corporations most responsible. The money would support resilience efforts in Oregon, such as wildfire prevention, protection from extreme weather, and investments in health and safety for communities that have been impacted first and worst by the climate crisis.
“In recent years we have seen critical wildfire prevention and resilience programs go unfunded because there isn’t enough money to go around,” said Norah Doyle, South Medford High School senior and member of Rogue Climate Action Team. “This bill provides an avenue for our state to fund these programs that benefit all Oregonians who have experienced the devastation that comes with wildfires. As we continue to experience countless smoke-filled summers and see the wildfire season expanding, we need this policy now more than ever.”
This youth action will be followed up with a multigenerational rally at Vogel Plaza in Medford on Saturday, January 31 from 10 AM – 12 PM.
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