Oregon Legislates: Our Climate Priorities for 2024

Climate Budget for 2024: Lowering Families’ Housing and Transportation Costs

A Climate Budget brings an equitable and rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean energy closer within reach while increasing the resilience of our communities. Funding to enable urgently needed home repairs and efficiency upgrades and to make new and used electric vehicles more affordable will lower the cost of living, improve health and resilience, and reduce climate pollution. Supporting needed investment in these popular programs was requested during the 2023 legislative session, and needed more than ever.

 Affordable Energy Bills and Resilient Housing: $15M for Healthy Homes Program

  • What is it? The Healthy Homes program, run by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), helps low-income folks afford the changes needed to keep their home livable. This unique program is focused on health and safety, allowing for home repairs like radon and mold abatement, fixing holes in walls or roofs, and energy efficiency upgrades. Healthy Homes fills in gaps left by other state and federal energy efficiency and weatherization funding. It can be braided together to help pay for home repairs for low-income households that will cut climate pollution, improve health, and lower energy bills.
  • Why it’s a priority now: We’re in a housing and climate crisis. The Healthy Homes program addresses both. Solving Oregon’s housing crisis is about more than building more housing, it’s about keeping vulnerable people from losing their current homes. An estimated 49% of Oregonians live in housing built before 1980. Much of this housing is energy-inefficient and in need of repairs. This leads to higher utility bills, sickness, and lower quality of life, especially for those most vulnerable among us. The Healthy Homes program directly helps address these issues - but it is poised to run out of money without more funding now!

Affordable Access to Clean Transportation: $20M for Charge Ahead EV rebates

  • What is it? Everyone deserves a chance to participate in the green energy transition, but not everyone can afford to do so. The Charge Ahead Rebate program, run by DEQ, is one proven solution to help level the electric vehicle (EV) purchasing field. The Charge Ahead Rebate offers low-and moderate-income Oregonians a $5,000 cash rebate for the purchase of a new or used EV in addition to a standard EV rebate. EV drivers can save thousands of dollars on fuel and maintenance costs compared to gas-powered cars. Increasing equitable access to EVs can improve household budgets and reduce climate and air pollution.
  • Why it’s a priority now:  Electrifying vehicles is a top priority to reduce climate pollution from our biggest source: the transportation sector. Due to unprecedented demand, the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, including the Charge Ahead Rebate program, ran out of funds, and the program entered suspension on May 1, 2023. Without more funding now for Charge Ahead rebates, the program will not be able to stay open for more than two months in 2024. Without Charge Ahead rebates available, the gap between those who can afford to go electric and those who currently cannot will widen.

Our Priority Bills to Accelerate our Clean Energy Future and Promote Economic Development:

  • SB 1559: Updating the State’s Greenhouse Gas Goals for Climate Leadership Oregon’s statewide goals for reducing climate pollution have not been updated in 15 years, and it's past time to remedy that. We are out of step with the best available science of limiting warming to 1.5℃ that has guided more recent climate goals for the international community, the U.S. federal government, and our neighbors of Washington and California. These pollution reduction targets are a critical way to demonstrate Oregon’s commitment to climate action and to measure our progress toward achieving those goals.
  • HB 4015: Removing Barriers to Siting Battery Storage Projects We need to update our state’s siting processes to allow for newer technologies like stand-alone battery storage. This bill lessens the barriers for a developer who wants to build a much-needed battery energy storage system by allowing them to use the state Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) process to site the project.
  • HB 4112: Attracting Clean Tech Leadership Oregon should be a leader in attracting clean energy businesses and manufacturing. With Inflation Reduction Act incentives available to clean tech manufacturing like battery and heat pump components and other states putting together incentive packages, now is the time for Oregon to grab a slice of this economic development pie.
  • HB 4080: Harnessing the Potential of Offshore Wind Floating offshore wind on the Oregon coast has the potential to add 3 gigawatts of clean energy into our regional grid (enough to power at least one million homes). This bill would authorize the state to develop a “Roadmap” for offshore wind in Oregon. This Roadmap would engage stakeholders more deeply to ensure an inclusive, robust, and transparent process in developing this renewable resource. The bill also mandates fair labor standards for the construction and manufacturing of component parts.

Our Legislative update linked below:

 

Last updated 2/6/2024
 

Read on for the latest updates on Climate Solutions' work in Oregon:

Oregon State Government

Lower bills AND less fossil fuel expansion? Yes, please!

by Claire Prihoda on

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently delivered a significant victory for utility customers and the climate, requiring NW Natural Gas…

Time to speak up for Oregon's farmworkers!

by Jonathan Lee and Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

Farmworkers quite literally put food on our tables, which places them among the most essential workers in our society. Their work is physically…

Oregonians, are you registered to vote?

by Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

The deadline to register to vote is October 15th for Oregonians!

Oregon business, tribal, and labor leaders unite to defend the Climate Protection Program

by Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

Oregon business, tribal, and labor leaders unite against dangerous oil and gas industry delay tactics, urge state leaders to restore climate…

Oregon, it's time to get involved!

by Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

Are you wondering where you can engage in person? Look no further—four events are coming up that you should consider attending!

Tell Lawmakers: Regulate Dangerous Hydrogen/Gas Blending Project in Oregon!

by Claire Prihoda on

We just found out that NW Natural, the state’s largest methane gas utility, has begun blending hydrogen into the gas system and delivering it to…

In the quest for abundant clean energy in the PNW, markets matter

by Joshua Basofin on

The way grids are operated—including building out transmission infrastructure in the necessary geographies where energy is needed, controlling flows…

Amping Up: Electrifying Oregon’s Heavy Trucks for a Cleaner Future

by Brett Morgan on

There’s no way around it; we cannot meet our air quality and climate goals without retiring the existing fleet of diesel-powered medium- and heavy-…

Oregon is worth defending! Submit Public Comment for the Climate Protection Program Today

by Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

It’s time! It’s time for us to protect and strengthen Oregon’s landmark Climate Protection Program (CPP)! You can help by sharing your thoughts about…

We are hiring an Oregon director

by Meredith Connolly on

The Oregon Director will help drive our work to pass, implement, and defend cutting-edge policies at the state, local, regulatory, and utility levels…

Keeping cool with electric heat pumps

by Jonathan Lee on

Amidst another extreme and record-breaking heat wave, affordable and energy-efficient cooling is essential for everyone. Electric heat pumps can make…

Oregon! Join us July 9 to prepare for 2025 statewide transportation legislation input

by Juan M. Muñoz Jiménez on

Do you want safer, more environmentally sustainable, financially stable, and well-maintained transportation choices for all Oregonians? …

Oregon has big climate goals: heat pumps get us there

by Claire Prihoda on

Heat pumps are an essential piece of the puzzle for meeting our climate and affordable housing goals. They both reduce climate emissions and provide…

Clean energy offers resilience in the face of extreme heat

by Claire Prihoda on

Extreme heat events like this are a dramatic example of the dangers of burning fossil fuels. We need clean energy solutions that protect our climate…

Solar accessibility to soar for Oregon’s lower-income households

by Jonathan Lee on

The state of Oregon was recently awarded $86 million for rooftop solar projects for lower-income residents. The extra cool news: combined…

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Photo of farmworkers in a field, passing watermelons

Time to speak up for Oregon's farmworkers!

Farmworkers quite literally put food on our tables, which places them among the most essential workers in our society. Their work is physically strenuous and often downright hazardous, especially with worsening climate impacts and extreme weather events. However, Oregon's current minimum required housing protections are deficient.
Read More

gas meter on a blue wall

Tell Lawmakers: Regulate Dangerous Hydrogen/Gas Blending Project in Oregon!

We just found out that NW Natural, the state’s largest methane gas utility, has begun blending hydrogen into the gas system and delivering it to Oregonians’ homes and businesses without any public outreach or oversight. Burning hydrogen with methane in buildings increases exposure to health harms and increases safety risks while offering negligible emissions reductions.
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We are hiring header graphic

We are hiring an Oregon director

The Oregon Director will help drive our work to pass, implement, and defend cutting-edge policies at the state, local, regulatory, and utility levels, working in partnership with Climate Solutions staff and a broad set of community partners.
Read More