FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
CONTACT: Masayo Simon, 541-852-2883, masayo@RogueClimate.org
Victory for youth organizers: Ashland unanimously passes youth-led policy to incentivize all-electric new homes
New policy will cut pollution, help lower building costs, and boost efficiency in newly-constructed homes.
Ashland, Ore. – The Ashland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass a policy incentivizing all-electric new home construction, prompting celebration from youth organizers from the Rogue Climate Action Team who have championed the measure for two years. The policy encourages new homes to be built with modern, energy-efficient electric appliances, which both lowers energy bills and reduces building costs.
Cities across Oregon have been looking to Ashland as an example for their own policies to create healthy, safer buildings.
“This is an effort that youth in Ashland have been working towards since 2017, when they pressured the city to pass the Climate and Energy Action Plan. In 2023, after the city failed to make progress towards the goals outlined in the plan, we organized a 400-student walkout to tell Ashland to take our futures seriously and prioritize climate action. I was a sophomore then,” said Kiera Retiz, Ashland High School Senior and youth organizer. “I didn’t expect to spend the next two years working on climate policy, but I’m so proud of my peers and the community members who have worked so hard to hold the city accountable–this is for all of us.”
At the city council vote, youth unfurled a seven foot long scroll, presenting the city council members with over 1,100 signatures from community supporters. In April 2024, they sent the city council a letter of support for the policy from dozens of climate leaders across the state.
“We’ve been a part of this policy every step of the way,” said Piper Banks, Ashland High School senior and youth organizer. “From community engagement, organizing rallies and raising awareness in Ashland, to joining the Climate and Energy Policy Advisory Committee to help shape the policy and make sure the work keeps moving. We’ve shown that the community can make an impact–even though it shouldn’t have been our job as high school students to do this.”
The ordinance is the first to pass out of a suite called the Climate & Clean Air Policy Package that youth and their supporters have been demanding that Ashland implement to address climate and health concerns. The policy passed unanimously despite last-minute efforts from a gas-industry front group to spread misinformation throughout the Rogue Valley, a tactic that they have tried in other cities to shut down climate policy and protect their bottom line. The group, called NW Coalition for Energy Choice, is registered at the same address as the gas utility Avista and includes leadership from Avista and the NW Gas Association.
“This ordinance ensures that as Ashland builds new homes, we are building in a way that prioritizes the needs of residents that come with a changing climate. Homeowners won’t have to make expensive retrofits to upgrade to modern electric appliances down the line. It just makes sense to do this.” Said Mark Knox, Founding Partner of KDA Homes. “This would also ensure that the renters of these future housing units are getting the benefits of these appliances that are much better for air quality, save on bills, and guarantee them access to efficient heating and cooling as we face more extreme weather conditions.”
Improving public health, climate, and energy affordability through updating building policy is an approach that is being considered by other places like Bend and Corvallis, and Ashland’s leadership represents a starting point for other cities across the state.
“This will have ripple effects throughout Oregon. The passage of this ordinance showcases how we can cut climate pollution and improve public health, while also addressing housing affordability and lowering energy costs. This is a victory that advocates around the state look to and celebrate alongside Ashland,” said Aya Cockram, Oregon Statewide Energy Transition Organizer at Breach Collective.
The youth from the Rogue Climate Action Team have grown up with climate disasters in their backyard. Many have cited the Almeda and Obenchain Fires of 2020, which happened when they were in middle school, as a driving motivation behind their climate work.
Electric appliances like heat pumps not only reduce pollution from buildings, but can also be lifesaving in extreme weather, as they can quickly and efficiently heat and cool a home.
“From catastrophic floods in Florida and North Carolina to fires in Los Angeles, it is clear that if we don’t act now to stop this fossil-fuel driven crisis, our communities will only continue to suffer,” said Maroun Aguero, Rogue Valley Organizer at Rogue Climate. “Ashland is making this small change–a first step–thanks to the dedication of young people who just want a liveable future. Today, we’re celebrating this win. Tomorrow, we’ll rest. Then we’ll keep fighting for more.”
The Pollution Fee will go into effect January 1st, 2026.
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About Rogue Climate Action Team: Rogue Climate Action Team (RCAT) is a youth-led team focused on making change within their communities by organizing campaigns for climate justice in the Rogue Valley. They are currently working on the Ashland Youth for Electrification campaign to pass the Pollution Fee ordinance in Ashland, Oregon.
About Rogue Climate: Rogue Climate is a Southern Oregon based community organization that organizes for climate justice through stopping new fossil fuels, facilitating youth leadership development, and campaigning for a just transition to clean energy and energy efficiency.
