CUB Holds Successful Lobby Day
Posted on February 16, 2007 by oregoncub
Tags, Climate and Conservation, Legislative & Political
Members of CUB’s volunteer Board of Governors and Staff members journeyed to the State Capitol in Salem yesterday for a Lobby Day in support of CUB’s Pro-Consumer and Clean Energy Agenda. At the top of the list of bills we are supporting is SB 373, the Renewable Energy Standards Bill, which would require that 25% of Oregon’s electricity production be produced from clean, renewable sources by the year 2025. We also spoke with our legislators and key committee chairs regarding SB 461, the bill which would raise the amount of low-income energy assistance money offered from $10 million (which currently serves only about 23% of the need) to $15 million, with an index tied to inflation.
Our newest CUB Board member, Linda Tomassi, traveled down from Portland, along with long-time CUB Board member and supporter Fred Heutte. CUB Executive Director Bob Jenks and staff members Lowrey Brown and Shannon Floyd also drove that I-5 corridor (and, yes, we did carpool!) Already close at hand was Board member and Salem resident Steve Weiss. And coming from farther afield were Board Chair Doug Crow, from Mosier, and Board Member Hank Keeton, from Scotts Mills. Jeff Bissonnette, CUB’s lobbyist and organizing director, is a fixture at the Capitol these days; he shepherded our group through a dozen or so meetings throughout the day with great efficiency and aplomb. And our newest intern, Thomas Balcom, an anthropology student at Willamette University, helped manage the many details of a busy day.
We wish to express our great appreciation to the busy lawmakers who took time to meet with us, and talk with us about these important bills. That list includes: Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, Senator Jason Atkinson, Sen. Jeff Kruse, Senator Rod Monroe, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, Rep. Terry Beyer, Rep. Scott Bruun, Rep. Ben Cannon, Rep. Brian Clem, Rep. Diane Rosenbaum, and with special thanks to Senator Brad Avakian and Rep. Jackie Dingfelder, not only for their time yesterday, but also for their leadership roles in working to pass the Renewable Energy Standard. In between the meetings with legislators, the CUB group gave a statement to members of the Capitol press corps, met briefly with Public Utility Commission Chair Lee Beyer, attended the tail end of the Oregon Conservation Network meeting, and enjoyed some lunchtime sandwiches and cookies around a table that looked out on the Capitol back lawn.
The day went really well and feedback from Linda made us smile: “We were organized, educated, coordinated, fed, encouraged and delivered. I knew you were really good at what you did, Jeff, but knowing and seeing are very different things. Thank you. What we did today was important. Oregon’s policymakers are obviously impressed with CUB’s integrity and competence. I am proud to be part of such an amazing organization.” We had a great CUB Lobby Day, learned a lot about the bills, the people and the processes of our Capitol, and hopefully made some strides in moving along the RES and low-income assistance from bills to state law.
Just as important as the CUB Board going to Salem to push our agenda will be CUB’s grassroots members writing letters, making phone calls and sending e-mails to your legislators at key times in the process. That’s where CUB’s clout really comes from. Stay tuned for action alerts that will be coming as the legislative session really starts to heat up.
And if you want to come to Salem yourself to personally talk to your legislator, consider attending the Oregon Conservation Network Lobby Day on April 3rd. It’s always a fun and empowering day, joining with a few hundred Oregonians from around the state. A key focus will be supporting the Renewable Energy Standard bill as well as other parts of the Clean Energy Agenda.
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03/10/17 | 0 Comments | CUB Holds Successful Lobby Day