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Climate Emergency Highlights

Claudia Keith

Now over 40 Environmental Justice/Climate/Energy Legislative Bills are posted or soon to be posted to OLIS first week of Feb. (some of these may be just place holders). Please note the Legislative Environmental Caucus has not yet posted their 2026 priorities. A League SB 1541 Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program Alert is planned for Feb 3. There are a number of other CE bills during 2026 short session. 

At this point here are a few that have been identified as League policy and/or budget / funding Climate Emergency portfolio priorities:

Climate Priorities

The League may have testimony and /or join a coalition letter to support in most cases or potentially oppose.

• Make Polluters Pay (MPP) (SB 1541)
. (LC 0183), – Creates the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to assess financial impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and recover costs from responsible entities. Designates the DLCD to lead an interagency team, directs the DEQ to issue cost-recovery notices, and establishes a dedicated account to receive funds. League is submitting testimony. The League has joined the Make Polluters Pay Campaign last week. MARK your calendars: An Action Alert has been issued inviting members to contact their legislators, submit testimony, sign a petition, and attend a lobby day regarding the Make Polluters Pay bill.

• Community-Based Power: Distributed Power Plants (SB 1582)
 Distributed power plants (or DPPs) bring together customer resources like rooftop solar, battery systems  and smart thermostats to provide energy when and where it’s needed most. This bill would require electric companies to incorporate DPPs into their resource mix.

• Fund for Oregon’s Resilience, Growth, and Energy (SB 1526)
 Creates financing tools, including a revolving loan fund, to provide more affordable, accessible long-term financing for clean energy and resilience infrastructure projects in Oregon.

• Nuclear Study Bill HB 4046. Directs the ODOE State Department of Energy, subject to the availability of funding, to conduct a study on nuclear energy, including advanced nuclear reactors

• HB 4031 Exempts an energy facility from needing a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council if the energy facility produces power from a renewable energy source, qualifies for certain federal renewable energy tax credits and construction begins on or before December 31, 2028. HCEE 2/3 Tues 8am 

• HB 4102

• Modifies the authority of the Department of Environmental Quality to enter into agreements with regulated entities to expedite or enhance a regulatory process. HCEE 2/3 Tues 8am

• HB 1597 Makes a power provider disclose the costs to store the waste made from making electric power 

Oregon Treasury: Oregon Divest/ Environmental

Oregon State Treasury should engage or divest from companies fueling a new era of resource conflicts. (Divest Oregon ORG)

Climate Lawsuits/Our Children’s Trust

There are a number of active federal lawsuits.

Climate Litigation Jan 30 Updates 

Another source: Columbia University Law - Sabin Climate DB lists 96 lawsuits , (active and dismissed) mentioning Oregon.

Our Children’s Trust Press Releases

January 21, 2026

Bipartisan Former U.S. Officials and Legal Scholars Join Broad Coalition Supporting Youth Challenge to Trump’s Fossil Fuel Executive Orders

January 16, 2026

Montana Youth Return to Court Challenging New Laws That Undermine Historic Climate Victory 

January 12, 2026

Young Americans Take Trump’s Unconstitutional Fossil Fuel Executive Orders to the Ninth Circuit

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  What is your passion related to Climate Emergency ?  You can help. Volunteers are needed.  The short legislative session begins in January of 2026. Many State Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring.  If any area of climate or natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, or Claudia Keith Climate Emergency at peggylynchor@gmail.com Or climatepolicy@lwvor.org.  Training will be offered.

Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Governance, Revenue, Natural Resources, and Social Policy report section