4 minutes with… Cory-Ann Wind, Lead Staff Oregon Clean Fuels Program, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Tell us about your company and it’s role in the Advanced Bioeconomy.

ODEQ is the regulatory agency that oversees the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, Oregon’s version of the low carbon fuel standards. The program’s goal is to reduce the carbon intensity of Oregon’s transportation fuels by 10% between 2016 and 2025. The regulated parties for the regulation are importers and Oregon producers of transportation fuels.

Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.

In January 2015, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission adopted rules for the program. In March 2015, Governor Kate Brown signed a bill that removed a previous sunset date and allows ODEQ to implement the program beyond 2015. As lead staff for the program, I am focusing on 3 things in the upcoming year. My first priority is to provide the necessary tools and technical assistance to fuel importers who are affected by the regulation. Next, I will be amending our administrative rules to align with what California is planning to adopt later this summer. Alignment of Oregon’s program to California’s will provide both regulatory certainty and implementation efficiency to fuel providers in the west coast region. Lastly, I will work with those in the clean fuels industry -primarily renewable diesel, natural gas, biogas, propane and electricity – to support their work to transform the fuels market.

What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?  

From a regulatory standpoint, it is important for the State of Washington to move forward with a clean fuels standard. Doing so will mark an important milestone in providing consistent regional policy regarding low carbon fuels throughout California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?  

Where are you from? 

I was born and raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the island of Oahu.

What was your undergraduate major in college, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?

I moved to Corvallis, Oregon to attend Oregon State University and majored in BioResources Engineering. I initially intended to pursue a career in food engineering but took an internship at EPA in Ann Arbor, Michigan which led to 20+ years regulating air pollution in Oregon.