Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

Did you make energy efficiency improvements to your home in 2011? Did you buy any new energy efficient appliances through the Energy Trust of Oregon or other incentive programs? If you did either of these, you may qualify for tax credits on both the federal and state level.

For products purchased in 2011, to receive a federal tax credit you can file IRS form 5695 and enter the tax credit amount on line 52 of your 1040 form. Form 5695 must be… Full Post >>

USF Reform: Big Boost for Broadband

Back in October, we wrote about the Universal Service Fund, and the fact that it was slated for a potentially dramatic overhaul. These changes were designed to focus more on broadband internet service and less on traditional landline telephone service. Since then, the FCC did in fact release its proposed changes (PDF) and, as expected, they are designed to provide support for ensuring universal access to broadband services. The order, over 750 pages long, takes some reading and it will be a while before… Full Post >>

Oregon’s Incentives on Energy Efficient Appliances Set to Expire

During the summer, CUB Organizing Director Jeff Bissonnette posted an overview of the 2011 legislative session. Jeff reported that energy efficiency tax credits were mostly preserved under HB 3672, but also noted some changes. One of these changes is that the incentive for purchasing energy efficient appliances is about to expire for Oregon residents. The Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC) provides state income tax credits for purchases of qualified home appliances. Earlier this year the state legislature, in an effort to reduce… Full Post >>

2011 Legislative Session: One for the History Books – And Not

The 2011 session of the Oregon Legislature has been history for about a month now, and CUB Organizing Director Jeff Bissonnette has had some time to decompress a bit and summarize CUB’s work during the session. Here’s his overview of the session with its wins, losses and stuff still on the to-do list.

The 2011 session was one for the history books right from the start. It featured Oregon’s first third-term governor, the Oregon Senate’s first fifth-term President, and… Full Post >>

CUB Lobby Day 2011

On Wednesday, May 4 CUB board members, staff, interns and volunteers headed down to the state capitol to speak to our representatives about three important issues currently in the Oregon legislature. CUB Lobby Day is a way for the staff and board of CUB to meet their legislative representatives, to better understand CUB’s role in Oregon’s policy making process and to help our representatives better understand CUB’s position on bills that are making their way through the current session.

CUB folks were able to meet with… Full Post >>

Hot Topic: Cool Schools

A hot topic in the legislature has been getting some coverage in the media lately: the “Cool Schools” bill, HB 2960 (here’s a copy of the bill in its current form: http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/hb2900.dir/hb2960.a.pdf), which seeks to help school districts across the state utilize existing funds more effectively and efficiently to make school buildings energy efficient, has gotten print in a recent Daily Journal of Commerce article (http://djcoregon.com/news/2011/04/04/legislators-work-on-150m-plan-for-green-retrofits-in-schools/) and in today’s Willamette Week (http://wweek.com/portland/article-17410-cool_schools_on_ice.html). 

In a closely divided legislature, it’s good to see a… Full Post >>

CUB Signs the BPA “REP Settlement Agreement”

CUB’s Executive Director, Bob Jenks, recently signed a settlement agreement (the “REP Settlement Agreement”) on behalf of CUB. If agreed to by a sufficient number of parties, this agreement will settle among the parties disputes over the Bonneville Power Administration’s Residential Exchange Program (REP) that have had northwest investor owned utilities (IOUs), public utility commissions (PUCs) and consumer owned public utilities (COUs) tied up in the Federal Courts for decades.

The REP is a section of the NW Power Act, which governs… Full Post >>

Consumer Advocacy at the National Level

Last week CUB staff member Andrea Crosby traveled to our nation’s capital for the 2011 Consumer Assembly of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). The agenda included presentations and roundtables covering the complete spectrum of consumer advocacy issues and debates. The annual conference aims to inform CFA members of current issues while receiving feedback, ideas, and suggestions on how to form and advance federal policy recommendations. The conference opened with an introduction by the Honorable Henry Waxman, the California representative known for his support… Full Post >>

CUB Legislative Update and a New CUB Addition

Alert readers know that CUB advocates on behalf of residential ratepayers in dockets before the Public Utility Commission, but our work doesn’t stop there. CUB’s legislative team spends considerable time tracking proposed legislation in Oregon to promote those laws which protect ratepayer interests and to advocate against those which threaten such interests. 

The 76th Legislative Assembly is in full swing and CUB has its work cut out for it. During a three-day organizational session in January, the Legislature introduced more than… Full Post >>

CUBConnects Presents at the Capitol

On February 7, 2011 the CUB Connects team headed to Salem to present the project to our representatives at the Oregon State Capitol.  The presentation, held in Hearing Room 350 of the Capitol Building, was the first of many events that we are planning for 2011 to celebrate the launch of CUB Connects.  Jeff Bissonnette opened the event with a brief introduction to CUB and the history of CUBConnects.  Andrea Crosby, our Project Manager, explained the methodology and philosophy behind the site and walked the… Full Post >>

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