Please see Climate Emergency Overview here.

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• Climate Emergency Highlights

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• Climate Lawsuits/Our Children's Trust

Highlights 

READ Make Polluters Pay Climate Superfund ACTION ALERT  

An Opportunity to engage in advocacy: please consider the many ways to advocate for Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program (SB 1541) and Fund for Oregon’s Resilience, Growth, and Energy (SB 1526), both affecting major multiple million dollar new funding mechanisms to address climate change mitigation and or adaptation.

Good news: Many Climate Emergency priority bills the league supports are likely to move from the first chamber by Feb 16 deadline, find details below. The deadline to schedule a work session is Monday 2/9.

Climate Priority Bills

The League may have testimony and/or join coalition letters.

• Make Polluters Pay (MPP) SB 1541,  SEE PH 2/5 and work session 2/10, LWVOR  submitted testimony   – Creates the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to assess financial impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and recover costs from responsible entities. Designates the Department of Land Conservation and Development to lead an interagency team, directs the Department of Environmental Quality to issue cost-recovery notices, and establishes a dedicated account to receive funds. The League has joined the Make Polluters Pay Campaign . MARK your calendars: An Action Alert was issued 2/3 inviting members to contact their legislators, submit testimony, sign a petition, and/or attend a Feb 16th lobby day regarding the Make Polluters Pay bill. This climate legislation is a national effort covered today by the New York Times, reporting that a number of other states are in the process of passing and/or implementing.

• Fund for Oregon’s Resilience, Growth, and Energy SB 1526 , SEE PH 2/4, possible work session 2/9, league testimony  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. This is modeled on a number of other states’ legislation, some as ‘green’ banking non profits.

• Community-Based Power: Distributed Power Plants SB 1582,  SEE PH 2/9, possible work session 2/11.  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.

• Nuclear Study Bill HB 4046. CEE PH 2/10 and Possible work session 2/12. Unlikely to move out of committee. 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 : HCEE PH 2/3 , Work session 2/10. 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.

• HB 1597 SEE PH 2/4 , WK possibly 2/11. Makes a power provider disclose the costs to store the waste made from making electric power. SMS

Senate Committee on Energy and Environment

The committee heard testimony February 4 on 3 of the 5 bills it has been assigned:

SB 1525 would establish the Blue Economy Task Force to study and report on economic development plans or strategies for the “blue” (coastal) economy and opportunities for the state to nurture sustainable blue economy businesses while preserving and protecting Oregon’s coastal ecosystems. It would authorize the Oregon Ocean Science Trust to create a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity to advance the trust’s mission. Chair Sollman testified in favor, as did a trust representative. The trust has distributed $2 million in competitive grant funding for high-impact research projects, but more research is needed. The 501(c)(3) would serve as a dedicated fund-raising arm of the trust—“technically clean, fiscally noncontroversial, and urgently needed.” The task force would be sunsetted on 12/31/2027. The bill is starred for subsequent referral to Joint W&M. 

SB 1526, the FORGE Act, would require the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) to apply for grant moneys from the State Agency Program Fund to cover the costs and expenses of carrying out pre-startup activities and forming a nonprofit entity. Chair Sollman supported, saying the bill would create a carefully-phased framework for Oregon to explore this funding model while maintaining fiscal discipline and legislative oversight. Amendments are coming which would add a labor representative to the founding board, confirm that the board would be independent and not overseen by ODOE, massage language on behalf of MUDs and PUDs. The League supported the bill in written testimony. Support also came from OEC, S2 Strategies, Beneficial State Bank, League of Oregon Cities, NW Native Chamber, Renewable Hydrogen Alliance, Nature Conservancy; all stressed benefits for rural and underinvested communities. The BlueGreen Alliance is neutral now but will support with the proposed changes. The Cascade Policy Institute opposed the bill on grounds that it would duplicate private sector initiatives in Oregon. They are also concerned about allowing the board to use OBDD’s bonding authority. 

SB 1597 would require an electric utility to disclose to its customers the costs of storing the waste produced by an energy facility in generating electricity. Sen. Frederick: Amendments are coming to specify that this bill targets nuclear waste, not renewable energy waste. Oregon voters have said they don’t want to approve another nuclear plant until they know where the waste will go and how much it will cost. Renewable Northwest will support with the promised amendments.

House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment

Work sessions scheduled for HB 4029 and HB 4031 were moved to Tuesday 2/10.

Other bills we are following: 

Possible Work sessions:

• HB 4029 - Requires a solar energy contractor or person that installs a solar energy system to have a license appropriate for the scope of work the solar energy contractor or person will perform. (Carried over from 2/5)

• 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. (Carried over from 2/5)

• HB 4144 - Requires producers of batteries or battery-containing products to join a battery producer responsibility organization and implement a battery producer responsibility program for the collection and recycling of batteries.

• HB 4080 - Allows a retail electricity consumer to install and use portable solar photovoltaic energy devices with up to a total maximum generating capacity of 1,200 watts. 

Public hearings:

• HB 4077 - Authorizes a public utility, upon approval by PUC, to issue bonds and securitize debt for costs and expenses incurred or to be incurred by the public utility associated with a self-insurance or captive insurance program. (Carried over from 2/5)

• HB 4046 - Directs ODOE, subject to the availability of funding, to conduct a study on nuclear energy, including advanced nuclear reactors. 

• HB 4030 - Exempts packaging for certain berries and meat, poultry, fish and seafood from producer responsibility requirements for packaging, paper and food serviceware. 

• HB 4060 - Exempts sales to purchasers with facilities totaling more than one million square feet from a prohibition on sales of certain fluorescent lamps until 1/1/2030. 

Oregon Treasury & Oregon Divest 

New 2025 Treasury : Climate-Positive Investing : Invested for Oregon

Report Tracking Net zero climate positive investment strategies .

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  97 lawsuits , (active and dismissed) mentioning Oregon.

Other 

Cornell: NEW REPORT: a bold vision for climate jobs In Oregon

Oregon Gov. Kotek to create statewide data center advisory committee - OPB

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