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

2018 Oregon Legislative Roundup

by Meredith Connolly on

While the Oregon legislature didn’t pass the Clean Energy Jobs bill this year, we are incredibly well-positioned to pass the policy to reduce climate…

Rural Oregon transit agency drives toward electric buses

by Alison Wiley on

A southern Oregon transit leader shares what it takes to for his rural community to make the switch to electric buses. 

Coal phaseout continues; states on fire for climate action

by Devon Downeysmith on

US support increases for phasing out coal; some utilities show a greater taste for renewables, and more in this week's ClimateCast.

Oregon Is One Step Closer To Passing Historic Climate Legislation

by Mara Gross on

Press Release: Oregon's Clean Energy Jobs Bill passed out of House and Senate committees

One step closer to limiting climate pollution in Oregon

by Meredith Connolly on

On Oregon's birthday, State House and Senate Committees both advance the Clean Energy Jobs bill. 

Climate action in Oregon, and clean energy everywhere

by Devon Downeysmith on

In this week's ClimateCast: An Oregon bill seeks to account for the true cost of climate pollution. Clean energy deployments are on the rise--but so…

Reducing Pollution, Investing in Solutions

by Mara Gross on

Clean energy, cost saving, job creating investments from the ten states that have already put a price on climate pollution

Time to make climate history in Oregon

by Meredith Connolly on

With the Clean Energy Jobs bill, we have a huge opportunity for Oregon to take a bold step in the fight against climate change. 

All Aboard! Accelerating TriMet’s transition to electric buses

by Meredith Connolly on

It’s time for Oregon’s largest transit agency to stop buying new diesel buses and make the switch to electric. 

States step up to fight climate challenges

by Devon Downeysmith on

Global temperatures aren't the only thing heating up--states and cities are showing an appetite this year for strong climate policy. We've got the…

Oregon legislators release Clean Energy Jobs bill

by Mara Gross on

This February, the Oregon legislature has the chance for a major climate win by passing the Clean Energy Jobs bill, which puts a limit and price on…

Let’s make 2018 the year of clean energy in Oregon

by Meredith Connolly on

As 2018 kicks off, we’re already running full steam ahead toward passing the Clean Energy Jobs bill and other strategies for transitioning Oregon to…

2017: The highlights were pretty bright

by Gregg Small on

Yes, 2017 was an awful year in many ways. But it was also a year of transition for climate action. We and many others affirmed our ability to make…

Oregon Governor takes significant step to reduce climate pollution from buildings

by David Van't Hof on

Oregon Governor Brown's recent executive order calls for energy efficient design in new buildings that will save people money on utility bills and…

With EV car share, driving clean is convenient and affordable

by Jair Lazaro on

One family's experience with Portland's innovative EV car-sharing program.

Give for a brighter future

Connect

Join our email list to learn about what we do and how to get involved. 

Oregon Events

There are no upcoming events posted at this time
Electric Fedex mail truck sits parked

Clean Trucks for Justice

Our state needs to prioritize cleaning up the delivery trucks, transit and school buses, big rigs, and other commercial vehicles that make up the medium and heavy duty transportation sector.
Read More