Who could resist a trip to "the source?" I've always been fascinated by the underground network of pipes and pumps that supply our freshwater and remove our waste water. Turning the tap, I wonder where does this water come from, how did it get here, how pure is it and how was it purified? So when offered the opportunity to tour the Bull Run Watershed – source of drinking water for 20 percent of all Oregonians – I was happy to accept.

In 2007 Oregon set a 2020 greenhouse gas reduction goal that is almost 30 percent below today's levels (10 percent below 1990 levels). The Oregon Global Warming Commission was appointed by the governor to recommend ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the state and also to help local governments and residents prepare for the effects of climate change. Last fall the OGWC unanimously adopted a roadmap of ideas and is now embarking on a “road trip” to get public input on the proposals.

Video of presentations by international climate change expert and Nobel peace prize recipient Dr. William Moomaw to local leaders is now available on the Metro web site.

The Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation today accepted the Regional Transportation Plan, sending it to the Metro Council for its vote on Dec. 17. If accepted by the Metro Council, the RTP will then undergo an analysis of its projects for conformance with the federal Clean Air Act before final adoption votes are taken next spring.

The vote to accept the RTP was not unanimous and came after several amendments were considered, many of them dealing with important projects such as the proposed connector between Interstate 5 and Highway 99W. The committee also considered two amendments dealing with differing approaches to addressing greenhouse gas emissions in the analysis of RTP projects.

I don't think any of the decision makers who serve on the Metro region's Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation is fully satisfied with the Draft Regional Transportation Plan we released this fall for public comment and are scheduled to adopt this month. But I'm hoping that we can all agree to move this plan forward, and then get on with the real work of making our region more sustainable, not just greener.

Why adopt a plan we want to improve on? Because this plan will serve as the new "set point," the new base case, a first ever outcomes-based transportation plan for our region. And frankly, reducing greenhouse gases is only one of the outcomes this plan has targeted. It's also one outcome where the plan plays only a limited role.