Hundreds of truckers and loggers held a protest at the Oregon capitol Wednesday to show their opposition to a bill that would regulate carbon emissions. House Bill 2020 was approved by the House on Monday and could come up for a vote in the Senate as soon as Thursday.
Log truck driver Steven Wilks of Tillamook says he’s concerned about his livelihood. “It would devastate all of Oregon because of the loss of jobs in all the rural areas,” he said.
Supporters of cap-and-trade say the bill would create new jobs in the clean energy industry. They’ve also been visiting the capitol this week to drum up support for the measure. Republicans in the Oregon Senate have threatened to walk out in order to deny Democrats the quorum they need in order to vote on the bill.