CUB 2008 Legislative Report

The Oregon legislature completed its supplemental session to test drive going to annual sessions. It was scheduled to go from Feb. 4th through Feb. 29th but legislators managed to end a week early on Feb. 22nd.

The number of bills that were allowed to be introduced was limited so CUB had a very narrow agenda. There was opportunity to work on a global warming bill, an energy efficiency bill and we monitored the bill to give OMSI money and a bill to upgrade the business energy tax credit. Here’s what passed and what went by the wayside:

1)  HB 3610 - The global warming bill. Although the bill was not onerous on Oregon industry, requiring little more than carbon emissions reporting from industries that were by and large already reporting (or expecting to), the bill generated a tremendous amount of controversy. Big polluters’ lobbyists used the bill to “take a stand” on their right to emit whatever whenever. The bill died in the Ways and Means Committee. We will be addressing the issue of carbon emissions again, frequently.

2)  HB 3612 - Energy efficiency in state buildings, requires that state agencies reduce their energy usage by 20% by 2015. We attempted to get this bill through in 2007 but didn’t quite make it. This time, we did a lot of negotiation and did get the bill through, within a very tight timeframe.

3)  OMSI - This Portland landmark received $1.6 million in state assistance, as expected. So, they have got all but $300,000 of the $4.6 million they originally sought. (This was an important issue for CUB to follow after the Legislature attempted to divert energy efficiency funds to OMSI during the 2007 session.)

4)  BETC - The Business Energy Tax Credit was expanded to allow greater amounts to go to renewable energy manufacturers, without undercutting other BETC users like energy efficiency projects and the like.

So, here’s a big question: did the legislature show that annual sessions could work? Well, the question is still open. Nothing bad happened but nothing extraordinary either (unless you count them finishing up ahead of schedule!).

We are very pleased to have made a large step forward for energy efficiency in state buildings, and we feel that the expansion of the BETC will be significant in the long run. Much work remains to be done in the field of global warming, and we are busy talking with allies about what tack to take on addressing global warming issues with the Legislature when they return in January 2009.

Thanks as always for supporting our work in Salem with your attention, your donations and your grassroots action.

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