Here is some of the environmental legislation Street Roots is tracking in the Oregon Legislature:
Environmental justice framework of principles
Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 would establish an environmental justice framework of principles that Oregon’s state-level natural resource agencies would follow when policy decisions are made. This includes consulting with the state’s Environmental Justice Task Force, making investments in frontline communities and in clean air and water, as well as ensuring there is participation in decision making among BIPOC communities, essential workers, youth, low-income Oregonians and those most vulnerable in urban and rural communities. Supporters include an array of environmental and social justice oriented organizations, including NAACP Portland and Eugene branches, Beyond Toxics and others. Overwhelmingly, testimony in support describes this resolution as a step in the right direction, toward a more sustainable and just state. While opponents aren’t out-right saying they oppose the bill, the Oregon Farm Bureau and other agricultural representatives have “concerns” about the number of environmental justice bills and are calling for clarity.
Status: Passed the Senate
Environmental Justice Council
Senate Bill 286 would provide the state’s Environmental Justice Task Force with additional resources and support from a new home at the Department of Environmental Quality. The panel would be renamed the Environmental Justice Council.
The bill requires natural resource agencies to "consider environmental vulnerability assessment when developing administrative rules or agency policies or programs."
Status: Passed out of committee
CLIMATE CHANGE: A closer look at key climate-related legislation in the Oregon Legislature
Clean energy
House Bill 2021 would transform the state’s energy sector by requiring utilities to provide regulators with “clean energy plans” that result in carbon-free power for utility customers by 2040. Those customers, mostly served by Portland General Electric and Pacific Power, represent about 70% of electricity end-users in the state.
Consumer-owned utilities, which serve the second-largest share of customers in the state and get most of their power from hydroelectric dams, are exempt from the bill’s requirements.
Status: Passed out of committee
Energy efficiency standards for appliances
House Bill 2062 would put into state statute new and updated energy efficiency standards for appliances, including new standards for computers and monitors; shower heads; commercial fryers, dishwashers and steam cookers; electric storage water heaters; faucets; High CRI fluorescent lamps and updated standards for portable electric spas and water coolers.
The Oregon Department Energy estimates cost savings of $30 million annually by 2025 and $100 million by 2035, and a greenhouse reduction of 50,000 metric tons annual CO2 emissions by 2025 and a reduction of over 100,000 by 2035.
This would bring Oregon into alignment with other state requirements. This bill is part two of a two-part process in standards updating, a process the bill seeks to streamline.
Environmental groups, power utilities and some industry representatives support the bill, while Oregon Home Builders Association and unions representing electrical workers, general contractors and others oppose streamlining the standards updating process, would remove the requirement that the Legislature must vote to adopt updates to existing standards.
Status: Passed the House
Timber tax reform
House Bill 2070, House Bill 2357 and House Bill 2379 would repeal the state’s severance tax on timber, the tax on wood volume harvested in Oregon, and replace it with a new tax system at an increased rate. The taxes would no longer fund the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, which drew ire after it was reported the agency — set up to educate Oregonians about forest practices but in actuality has worked as a lobbying arm of the industry — had worked to discredit research the timber industry found unfavorable. The harvest tax would instead go to fund forestry research programs at Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s administration of the Oregon Forest Practices Act and to an Emergency Wildfire Fund. In support of these bills are the Oregon Conservation Network, which represents dozens of organizations, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now, Center for Biological Diversity and League of Women Voters are among those supporting these pieces of legislation.
Timber Unity, forest land owners, and other supporters of the timber industry and OFRI oppose these bills, as well as teachers who say the in-classroom education OFRI provides to K-12 is beneficial.
Status: Passed out of committee
IN STREET ROOTS: A look at wildfire-related bills in the Legislature. Find a Street Roots vendor to buy this issue.
Electric vehicles
House Bill 2165 aims to increase the number of electric vehicles on Oregon’s roads by extending the state’s EV rebate, increasing the Charge Ahead rebate available to low-income households, and allowing public energy utilities to charge ratepayers for investments in EV charging stations.
Proponents include climate and environmental groups, public utilities and the Oregon Citizen’s Utility Board. The Oregon Rail Users’ League opposed the bill on the grounds that rail projects are in need of investment and could be impacted negatively through the continued redirection of funds from the Connect Oregon plan for non-highway modes of transportation. Some opponents also take issue with increases to energy ratepayers to fund these projects.
Status: Passed out of committee
Stream restoration projects
House Bill 2298 would direct the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to administer a program that allows private landowners to create “artificial beaver dams” and other stream restoration projects voluntarily, without a permit. While groups such the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and Oregon Farm Bureau say it will help landowners to voluntarily help the ecosystems on their property without having to navigate complicated permitting processes, conservation groups are not supportive, saying the bill’s repeal of removal-fill permitting and vague language around what constitutes a dam open the door for projects that will be detrimental rather than beneficial to water habitats for fish.
Status: Passed the House
Energy-efficient building codes
House Bill 2398 would enable local jurisdictions to mandate more energy-efficient building codes. It would allow cities that want to push ahead on their climate goals to up the minimum building requirements in their local jurisdiction, while giving cities and counties the option to stick with the state’s statewide minimum standard if they so choose.
The state’s influential homebuilders lobby has strongly opposed the bill, arguing that improved construction standards will price out entry-level homeowners from the market.
Status: Passed out of committee
HOA pesticide requirements
House Bill 2409 would prevent homeowners associations from requiring members to apply pesticides to their property, “except as necessary for ecological or public health.” In support are environmental groups that say this bill will help pollinator, pet and human health, as well as some HOA members who say they want the right to tell their HOA to stop spraying chemicals on their property.
Opposed is Oregonians for Food and Shelter, which represents agricultural interests and the pesticide industry, including Bayer. It argues HOAs should have the right to make their own rules.
Status: Passed out of committee
Land-use planning processes
House Bill 2488 would require the state Land Conservation and Development Commission to amend statewide land-use planning goals to “address climate justice by addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation and environmental justice for disadvantaged communities,” by the end of 2026.
This bill has garnered a broad base of support among environmental groups across the state, as well as the Oregon Public Health Association, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union.
“Many of our community members work the land in this state, but are often left out of any decision making spaces when it comes to land use,” testified Ira Cuello-Martinez, PCUN’s climate policy associate.
IN STREET ROOTS: Lisa Arkin argues in favor of H.B. 2488. Find a Street Roots vendor to buy this issue.
Opposed are the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Forest & Industries Council, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Oregon Home Builders Association and other industry groups. They argue that new land use planning goals are not needed and that the bill creates bodies to do work already being done, is unclear, costly and underfunded.
Status: Passed out of committee
Chemicals in children’s products
House Bill 2495 would update the 2015 Toxic Free Kids Act to remove limits on the number of chemicals that can be regulated in children’s products and would allow the state to add entire classes of chemicals to its list of regulated chemicals. The bill is opposed by toy industry representatives who say that it’s not consistent with regulations in other states and by the American Chemistry Council, a chemical manufacturing trade group, which argues the class approach opens the door for thousands of additions to the list.
Supporters of the bill include Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and Our Children Oregon, which argued the bill would make it easier for parents to avoid purchasing harmful products.
Status: Passed the House
Coyote-killing contests
House Bill 2728 would ban contests awarding cash for coyote killing. To participate in or organize such an event would constitute a Class A violation. The ban does not apply to nonprofit raffles as long as prizes are not based on the number, size or weight of coyotes taken — an amendment added to appease the Oregon Hunters Association.
Proponents, which include environmental groups, private citizens and a broad coalition of conservation groups, argue coyote killing contests are a cruel and barbaric way to hunt coyotes and do not achieve the goal of effective wildlife management.
Opponents, including coyote contest enthusiasts, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Association of Oregon Counties, Baker and Columbia county commissions, and others argue coyotes are a threat to livestock and these contests are necessary to incentivize hunting.
Status: Passed the House
DEQ permits
House Bill 3372 would allow the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to consider a permit applicant’s history of noncompliance when determining whether or not to issue a permit.
Residents, including Portland’s Northeast Coalition of Neighbors, support the bill, saying it will make it easier for DEQ to enforce clean air and water laws. Commercial interests oppose it, saying the bill gives overly broad authority to DEQ. While an amendment to the bill narrowed this scope, Oregon Business and Industry, Schnitzer Steel Industries and other commercial interests are still withholding support and asking for more concessions.
Status: Passed the House
Offshore wind energy projects
House Bill 3375 would set a state goal for setting up 3 gigawatts' worth of floating offshore wind energy projects in federal waters off Oregon’s coastline by 2030. Proponents say it would serve as an economic boost and assist in the transition away from fossil-fuel energy sources. The bill would take advantage of federal tax credits and a federal leasing program.
Groups such as Climate Solutions and Oregon Environmental Council support the bill, although the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society has raised concerns about the lack of language in the bill to protect the impacts to birds and other wildlife. An amendment to the bill addresses concerns from seafood industry representatives that argued fishing communities should be engaged to ensure there is no negative impact on the industry.
Status: Passed out of committee