Climate Emergency Team
Coordinator: Claudia Keith
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Coordinator: Claudia Keith
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Efficient and Resilient Buildings: vacant
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Energy Policy: Claudia Keith
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Environmental Justice: vacant
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Natural Climate Solution
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Forestry: Josie Koehne
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Agriculture: vacant
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Community Resilience & Emergency Management: see Governance LR: Rebecca Gladstone
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Transportation: see NR LR
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Joint Ways and Means - Budgets, Lawsuits, Green/Public Banking,
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Divestment/ESG: Claudia Keith
Find additional Climate Change Advocacy volunteers in Natural Resources
Please see Climate Emergency Overview here.
Jump to a topic:
Sine die was early on Friday March 6. As expected, in this very short /difficult session with risks of walkouts very few CE/Energy bills passed, however many other League policy and budget priorities did pass. (see other LR’s) Looking to the future, please note for next session: Legislative Environmental Caucus: recent email: “…And while other priorities didn't make it through this busy short session, they'll likely be coming back in the 2027 long session.“
The League will be very active in 2027 on Climate Emergency: mitigation, adaptation and climate migration / Human Rights related advocacy.
Passed
HB 4025 governor signed (allows a public utility other than a power or gas company (read: a water utility) to raise residential rates in winter, when usage is lowest. Electric and gas utilities remain prohibited from raising residential rates from Nov. 1 through March 31.
HB 4031A: governor signed. Exempts a renewable energy facility from needing a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council if the facility qualifies for certain federal renewable energy tax credits and construction is scheduled to begin on or before December 31, 2028.
HB 4029 A governor signed (requires a solar energy contractor or installer to have an appropriate license for the scope of work performed; requires certain disclosures in purchase, lease, and power purchase agreements related to solar energy systems; and prohibits deceptive statements related to installation contracts. Any warranty provided by a contractor or installer must transfer automatically to a new residential property owner and remain valid for the full warranty term.
Priority Bills Died in Committee:
SB 1541A - Make Polluters Pay - Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program., LWVOR submitted testimony. Creates the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to assess financial impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and recover costs from responsible entities. Multiple state agencies are involved including, DLCD, DEQ, Oregon Health Authority, OHA, and. LCDC, the oversight body is Environmental Quality Commission (EQC). The League did join the Make Polluters Pay Campaign. NOTE; 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 similar legislation.
SB 1526A - FORGE: Fund for Oregon Resilience, Growth, and Energy - 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. NOTE; This is modeled on a number of other states’ legislation, some as "green" banking nonprofits.
Other Bills died in Committee:
HB 4046A Nuclear Study Bill, directs the Oregon Department of Energy, subject to the availability of funding, to conduct a study on nuclear energy, including advanced nuclear reactors.
SB 1597A died in House Rules. Makes a power provider disclose the costs to store the waste made from making any electric power.
SB 1582, Community-Based Power: Distributed Power Plants,
News
Oregon Climate Action Commission to Meet Virtually on March 13, 2026 — Energy Info
Key climate, energy bills fail to advance in legislative session - Oregonlive.com
Oregon Legislature approves one-year moratorium on key data center tax break - oregonlive.com (HB 4084 passed - see NR LR)
How Oregon is building back smarter after wildfire • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The building legal case for global climate justice | MIT Technology Review
Oregon legislators require fuel terminals to prove they can pay for disaster cleanup - oregonlive.com
Oregon pushes new homes to install heat pumps over ACs • Oregon Capital Chronicle
ODOE January 2026 Newsletter — Energy Info (New Reports Highlight Importance of Oregon Lands and Workforce Needs for Climate Solutions)
Oregon Climate Action Commission to Meet Virtually on March 13, 2026
The Oregon Climate Action Commission will meet on March 13, 2026. The public meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. online.
ODOE Mar 3, 2026 February 2026 Newsletter
In this month's newsletter, ODOE announces 24 Community Renewable Energy Grant awardees, … ODOE Awards $834,000
Top Oregon Climate Change Risks: Precipitation, Heat, Fire / ClimateCheck
Corvallis researchers say climate change could trigger 'hothouse trajectory' | KLCC
Technical Report | Projected climate change impacts on water demand and supply for the City of Corvallis | ID: 6108vk252 | ScholarsArchive@OSU
Oregon Climate Change Research Institute // ScholarsArchive@OSU
Oregon Treasury & Oregon Divest
Now more opportunities for Oregon to invest in Clean Energy see latest performance results:
Newsroom - Oregon State Treasury
3/5/26 : ‘Renewable energy stocks outperformed oil and gas’, Goldman Sachs tells Oregon’s $101bn public pension fund | Netzeroinvestor
Zero Emissions - Part 1 (Divest Oregon ORG)
New 2025 Treasury : Climate-Positive Investing : Invested for Oregon Report Tracking Net zero climate positive investment strategies.
Oregon pension shows climate progress, private markets drive emissions | Private Equity Stakeholder Project.org
Climate Lawsuits and Our Children’s Trust
Columbia Law - Sabin Climate Center Blog –2026 updates
There are a number of active federal lawsuits. Columbia University Law ( CUL) Climate Litigation Jan 30 Updates . Another source: CLU - Sabin Climate DB lists 97 lawsuits, (active and dismissed) mentioning Oregon.
Our Children’s Trust - In the News:
March 5, 2026: California Youth Urge Ninth Circuit to Reinstate Constitutional Climate Case Against EPA
March 4, 2026: Alaska Youth Urge State Supreme Court to Revive Constitutional Climate Case Challenging Alaska LNG Project
Climate Rights Corps — Our Children's Trust
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.
Natural and Working lands, specifically Agriculture
Transportation and ODOT state agency
Climate Related Lawsuits/Our Children’s Trust
Public Health Climate Adaptation (OHA)
Environmental Justice
GHG emissions: Mitigation and Clean Energy Policy
Regional Solutions / Infrastructure (with NR team)
State Procurement Practices (DAS: Dept. of Admin. Services)
CE Portfolio State Agency and Commission Budgets
Oregon Treasury: ESG investing/Fossil Fuel divestment