The grid is the ‘superhighway’ on which electricity travels. It is a vast network of transmission lines and infrastructure that delivers the electricity we need to power our daily lives (i.e., our homes, businesses, and industrial sites). The grid is crucial for maintaining reliable and affordable power for Oregonians. Importantly, the grid must also evolve to accommodate our state’s clean energy transition and to serve our growing population and economy. Two recently passed pieces of legislation will help modernize the grid, relieving congestion and streamlining permitting of new transmission lines.

Last week, Governor Kotek signed two bills into law, HB 2065 and HB 2066, which will create a process for developing community-owned microgrids. Microgrids are a key part of Oregon’s decarbonization and energy resiliency goals. But their development has been hampered by technical and regulatory challenges. What are microgrids, why has building them been challenging, and how does this legislation help?

Oregon’s 2025 legislative session delivered mixed results for climate progress. Sound familiar? That’s because this is the second year in a row that Oregon lawmakers fell short of delivering the bold investments and climate action this moment demands. While we secured hard-fought wins and defended against serious threats that would unwind existing progress, this was far from a banner year for climate action in Oregon. Still, this session laid important groundwork, and we have a clear call to action for the road ahead.

To achieve Oregon’s 100% clean energy goals reliably and affordably, we need to address our transmission bottleneck. Through innovative policy solutions, the 2025 Legislature can help meet the energy demands of our growing economy without compromising affordability.

We’re officially over halfway through Oregon’s 2025 legislative session. Here’s the inside scoop on dynamics at the Capitol, the status of key clean energy and climate priorities, and how you can help keep the momentum going.

The 2025 transmission package is moving through the Oregon Legislature—and two critical bills are coming up for key votes TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 8. By helping expand and modernize Oregon’s transmission capacity, these policies will help meet growing energy demands, increase resilience to severe weather events like wildfires, and deliver the benefits of new wind, solar, and other renewable resources to Oregon families and businesses.

The transition to clean electricity and the surge in demand for electricity, require that electric utilities build more renewable energy projects and expand the transmission grid to deliver that new electricity to customers, that's where Grid Enhancement Technologies (GETs) come in!

The way grids are operated—including building out transmission infrastructure in the necessary geographies where energy is needed, controlling flows, and handling electricity sales—is a critical piece of our clean energy transition.

We have examples from across the country and worldwide that ought to close the confidence gap once and for all: yes, clean energy technologies work during cold weather.

Climate Solutions has this guiding principle: there is an identified need for offshore wind in Oregon to achieve our 100% clean energy goals, and it must happen through a robust, transparent, inclusive, and equitable process.