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Climate Emergency

Legislative Report - Week of 2/10

Climate Emergency Team

 

Coordinator: Claudia Keith​

  • Efficient and Resilient Buildings: Bill Glassmire

  • OHA & Environmental Justice: Nancy Rosenberger

  • Environmental Rights Amendment: Claudia Keith

  • Natural Climate Solution - Forestry: Josie Koehne

  • Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone 

  • Transportation: Claudia Keith

  • Ways and Means - Budgets, Lawsuits, Green/Public Banking, Divestment/ESG: Claudia Keith

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At this point in the session, we have identified a few League policy and/or budget Climate Emergency priorities, and some of those now have League testimony. This year most of our priorities are included in the 2025 Legislative Environmental Caucus Priorities .


Consequently, for some of these bills (especially those in a package) the League may just join coalition sign-on letters rather than providing individual testimony.

 

Climate Priorities 


HB 2966 Establishes the State Public Financing Task Force (see 2023 HB2763, vetoed by the governor) Representative Gamba, Senator Golden, Frederick, Representative Andersen, Evans, was Jan 28 1PM, House Committee Commerce and Consumer Protection, League Testimony 


HB 3170  League testimony Community Resilience Hubs and networks: DHS, Sponsors, Rep. Marsh, Sen Pham and Rep Tan.


Other Priorities 



Transportation package that prioritizes climate, equity, and wildlife: This package would build on the historic gains of HB 2017 (which included investments in public transit, safe routes to School, and vehicle electrification), to shift the focus to multimodal, safety, and climate-forward investments. This promises to  create a system that saves money over time and builds a more resilient, equitable, and healthy future for all Oregonians. (see OCN Press Rel)


Energy Affordability and Utility Accountability Package*  (HB 3081, SB 88, LC 1547): Oregonians are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing utility bills in the face of ever-worsening climate impacts. HB 3081 would create an active navigator to help Oregonians access energy efficiency incentives all in one place. SB 88 limits the ability of utility companies to charge ratepayers for lobbying, litigation costs, fines, marketing, industry fees, and political spending. SB 553 LC 1547 ensures that large energy users (i.e. data centers) do not unfairly burden Oregon households. (*see OCN Press Rel)

 

Natural and Working Lands and Energy    


By Josie Koehne


On Feb 3, the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment heard two Biennial report summaries, one from the Oregon Dept of Energy (ODOE) and the other from the Oregon Climate Action Commission (OCAC) on the Natural and Working Lands Fund, which only got a few minutes, so that presentation will reschedule in the future.


The ODOE presentation on the highlights of the report was very informative, and the full 267 page detailed report can be found here.


This graph summarizes our progress in various sectors since 1990 with the thin straight horizontal lines showing target goals by various dates:



"Transportation is Oregon’s largest source of emissions by sector, just above that of the residential and commercial sector. While transportation emissions have fluctuated year over year, they have remained relatively constant over the last 30 years with 2022 emissions levels about the same as they were in 1990 (Table 1, Figure 2). Following a slight pandemic-related decline in 2020, Oregon’s transportation emissions have since rebounded to 20 million MTCO2e in 2022, contributing 34 percent of the state’s total 2022 emissions. Emissions from Oregon’s industrial sector have remained largely flat over the past decade, while emissions from the residential and commercial sectors declined by approximately 1 million MTCO2e over that period. Emissions from Oregon’s agriculture sector have declined by 2 million MTCO2e since 2012."   


Catherine MacDonald, Chair of the OCAC, outlined the charges of the committee for its 2024 OCAC Biennial Report in her  OCAC presentation. She said the committee was charged with reporting on: 


•   Impacts of climate change across Oregon’s economy and landscapes

•   Policies and programs being advanced in Oregon to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase sequestration in Natural and Working Lands

•   The state’s progress in reaching our GHG emissions reduction goals

•   Recommendations for actions necessary to ensure Oregon stays on track and accelerates progress in reducing emissions and increasing net sequestration


In the Meeting Materials, she included the 2024 Natural and Working Lands Fund Biennial Report (discussed in our previous testimony) that was established in 2023 by the omnibus bill HB 3409 but she did not have time to report on it, and she was invited to return to go over it. She requested that the funds be continued as the work has just begun to bear fruit.


Legislative Environmental Caucus Climate Priorities  and Members


In 2025, the Environmental Caucus is supporting a robust package of bills that address issues on environmental health, wildlife, land use, and transportation. Members are committed to policies on the environment and climate that uplift communities, support Oregon’s economy, and invest in a future where all Oregonians have access to clean air, water, and land.




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