Getting Oregon off oil for getting around
This summer’s record-hot temperatures, heat waves, and soaring gas prices reminded us to keep pushing on climate action and accelerating towards cl
Oregon has made incredible strides in cleaning up our electric grid and transportation sector through milestone policies in recent years. The buildings sector — Oregon’s second biggest source of climate pollution — requires similar cornerstone policies to set a framework that reduces pollution and energy waste and increases the resilience of our homes and buildings in the face of climate impacts. At the same time, Congress has recently passed historic legislation that will soon inject billions of dollars into climate resilience, clean energy, and infrastructure in Oregon. The combined investments of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) present a historic opportunity for Oregon to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, create family-wage jobs and address environmental injustice. The Legislature needs to act in 2023 to position Oregon to maximize the economic and climate potential of this once-in-a-generation funding infusion. Building upon the strong foundation of recent climate and clean energy policy wins in Oregon, this suite of priorities helps turn the promise of these policies into progress on the ground that meaningfully benefits us all.
[read our 2023 OR Legislative Priorities in PDF form]
Oregonians deserve healthy, affordable, resilient homes and buildings that run on clean energy. Right now, too many of our homes and workplaces put us at risk from the harms of climate change, like extreme heat and wildfire smoke. The way we heat buildings and water with fossil fuels is making things worse, especially for lower-income and frontline communities. A suite of policies emerging from the legislature’s Resilient Efficient Buildings Task Force will help reduce climate and air pollution from Oregon’s homes and buildings while increasing energy efficiency, affordability, and resilience and creating good jobs. Read our Resilient Building Coalition factsheet!
As Oregon accelerates the transition to a carbon-free grid, we need to make sure the state’s clean energy policy is consistent and inclusive of some of the state’s largest energy users. We also want to ensure how we transition to 100% clean energy results in economic benefits for communities across Oregon and increases resilience in the face of growing climate impacts. As the state transitions toward a cleaner and more equitable transportation system, leveraging federal funding to reduce the upfront cost of replacing diesel trucks, delivery vans, and buses with zero-emission vehicles is critical. These goals are reflected in the following bills:
Applies the state’s 100% clean energy targets for data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations whose power is not currently regulated by HB 2021 to ensure the state’s major energy users are transitioning from coal and gas to carbon-free power by 2040.
Read our factsheet!
Creates a Medium- Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Program that provides rebates for zero-emission vehicles like delivery trucks and buses and can attract and distribute anticipated federal funding.
Read our factsheet!
Directs the Oregon Public Utility Commission to consider the climate in its decision-making. The bill also shifts the financial risk of expanding the fossil fuel system from residential utility customers to gas companies and their investors by ending the practice of using residential ratepayer funding to subsidize or incentivize new gas line extensions and new gas appliances after 2026. Read our factsheet!
Defines green electrolytic hydrogen. Directs Oregon Department of Energy to develop statewide strategies to accelerate renewable hydrogen in a regionally-aligned, climate-smart way.
Supports the development and adoption of microgrid systems to increase electric grid and energy resilience. A workgroup has been convened by Representatives Marsh and Owens to finalize details.
Last updated 2/14/2023
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This summer’s record-hot temperatures, heat waves, and soaring gas prices reminded us to keep pushing on climate action and accelerating towards cl
If you’re like me, you’ve seen a LOT of studies released about the increasingly dire state of our climate, what’s to come if we do not cut pollutio
Heating and powering our homes and businesses generates a significant amount of pollution contributing to global warming. With clean, energy efficient homes and buildings, we would significantly reduce climate pollution, drastically cut energy costs for owners and renters, and improve air quality where we live and work.