For Britney VanCitters, political and organizing director at the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the last few years have felt like an uphill battle. She’s one of many environmental advocates in Oregon who’ve been trying to hold the line while federal protections are scaled back and funding dries up.
“We’re always playing defense,” VanCitters said. “We’re trying to stop bad things from happening when really we need to be making progress.”
Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, key environmental agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have seen budget cuts and policy rollbacks that are starting to hit home in real ways—including here in Eugene. And for local conservation groups, it’s becoming harder to do their work with fewer resources and less federal support.
VanCitters pointed to the Trump administration’s attempt to shrink the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument south of Ashland, Oregon—an expansion made by President Obama in 2017—as just one example of how fragile environmental protections can be when political tides shift.
“A president can’t undo [a national park] or shrink it,” VanCitters said. “But with national monuments, we’ve seen that happen. The Trump administration tried to shrink it almost immediately. Luckily, the courts upheld Obama’s expansion—but that kind of thing is always a threat.”
And it’s not just about land. VanCitters pointed out that agencies like NOAA provide the data that powers weather apps and storm alerts, which most people rely on without even realizing it.
“Any lapse in that data can be literally life-threatening,” she said. “For people out in the fisheries, it saves lives. It helps them know when to leave the ocean or prepare for storms.”
VanCitters also mentioned that one tsunami-tracking buoy off the coast of Oregon is currently offline. “We live on a fault line. That is really terrifying,” VanCitters said.
With federal support waning, the pressure is falling on states to fill the gap. But unlike the federal government, Oregon can’t run on a deficit, and that makes things complicated.
“Our state doesn’t have the same kind of funding,” VanCitters said. “Reduced spending means states are trying to do more with less, and at some point, something needs to give.”
That’s where coalitions like Protect Oregon Now come in. The group, made up of environmental and justice organizations, is trying to protect basic public services and programs that people depend on—things like Medicaid, clean energy incentives, and funding for home care workers.
“These programs are a lifeline, not a luxury,” VanCitters said. “People shouldn’t have to decide between turning on the AC when it’s 105 degrees and paying rent. These programs let people live with dignity.”
The past few years have also pushed organizations like OLCV to get involved in issues they haven’t traditionally focused on—like immigration and environmental justice.
“Everyone deserves access to clean air, clean water, and public lands, no matter where they were born or what they look like,” VanCitters said. “We have to protect all our communities.”
Right now, OLCV and its partners are also working on legislation to make energy more affordable and utilities more accountable. Their goal is to make sure consumers aren’t footing the bill for excessive charges or corporate shortcuts—especially as costs continue to rise.
Senator Ron Wyden has recently stepped in with a few federal proposals too. One is the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, aimed at helping low-income families reduce energy costs. Another is the Honor Farmworker Contracts Act, which would make sure federal money meant for farmworker support actually gets to the people who need it.
Even though it’s easy to focus on the big-name politicians making headlines in Washington, VanCitters stressed that a lot of the important work is done by lesser-known public servants—people running programs, overseeing regulations, and making sure communities stay safe.
“There’s a disconnect between the politicians and the people doing the real work,” she said. “These are folks working for not very much money to keep our communities running and safe.”
For VanCitters and many others in Oregon’s conservation community, the message is clear: the fight to protect the environment is far from over—and it’s getting harder. But it’s also becoming more essential than ever.
