Call on the Governor to VETO Public Purpose Giveaway

Here at CUB, we love biology, archeology, paleontology, astronomy and all the other wonderful things that children and their adult companions discover at OMSI. However, we also believe in upholding the Oregon Constitution and making good public policy that protects the environment and reduces rates. And so CUB is opposing the recent move of the Oregon Legislature to divert $4.6 million in funds paid by PGE customers to the Energy Trust of Oregon’s public purpose funds for energy efficiency and conservation projects, in order to pay off an old OMSI debt.

We urge you to call the Governor at 503-378-4582 to tell him to use his line-item veto to restore this $4.6 million of public purpose funding and protect your money for investments in energy efficiency and renewables.

Although the rationale for the diversion of funds is that the OMSI debt was used for a more energy-efficient building (more than a dozen years ago), we aren’t buying it. Those Energy Trust funds are required by law to fund new energy saving projects, not retire old debts. And however close some would claim this is to the intended purpose of the funds, in the final analysis, nothing except meeting the actual goals of new energy efficiency and conservation projects will fulfill the law. Any other use of the money is a misuse.

The Energy Trust has had to defend itself from various attacks and attempts to raid its pot of conservation and renewables funding over the years, as it has worked to establish programs and acquire an exceptional track record. It is therefore doubly important that this most recent attempt to reroute public purpose funds not be allowed to happen, as it would set a precedent that weakens the Trust for the future. The Legislature should be protecting this money for clean energy, waving a big “Hands Off!” sign, not giving the green light to prospecting funding-hunters.

This most recent raid was stealthy, rushed through at the end of an incredibly busy legislative session. Senate Bill 994, which contains the money grab, was adopted as an amendment in the Ways and Means Committee with no public hearing or comment period. With great speed, the bill was through the House and Senate as well. Even though the amendment was dressed up with descriptions of “energy efficiency,” it’s clear that this diversion is a raw deal. It’s a raw deal for everyone who believes in clean energy and energy efficiency, but especially for those customers who actually paid the $4.6 million into the Energy Trust fund that’s being raided. Customers deserve the assurance that the money they pay every month toward conservation and energy efficiency will actually go there.

CUB’s opinion is that this diversion of funding is not even legal. Taking this public purpose funding steals from customers twice: once, when the money paid by customers toward energy conservation and efficiency programs is directed to pay off someone else’s old debt; and a second time, because those programs would have saved customers money in the long run, reducing energy usage and removing 28,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the Oregon air.

Luckily, the Legislature does not have the final say on SB 994. It still must cross the Governor’s desk. With everyone from the Oregon Conservation Network to Lars Larson to the Oregonian editorial page speaking out against the diversion of funds, we urge Governor Kulongoski to use his line-item veto to restore the funds to their rightful purpose: managing energy efficiency and conservation projects in a way that will decrease Oregonians’ energy usage and keep our environment cleaner.

Call (503-378-4582) or email Governor Kulongoski now and tell him to restore public purpose funding and find another pot of money for OMSI.

We appreciate OMSI and some CUB staff even support it with membership, but we believe that there must be another way to solve the museum’s financial difficulty. The Legislature has dug a hole with this poorly-thought-out amendment, and we’re sure the Governor can find a way out.

So help us send that message to the Governor by calling 503-378-4582 or sending an email. It will just take a minute but will make a big difference in protecting energy efficiency and renewable programs now and in the future.

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