March 29, 2021 - Week 11

Climate Emergency Highlights and Priority Legislation (Claudia Keith)

100% Clean Energy HB 2021 hearing was March 22, next hearing is April 5 with new amendments. Final stakeholder amendments may not be available until the work session on April 7 .

A formal OCAP (Oregon Climate Action Plan) Coalition Progress report will be formally released this Monday March 29. This coalition was formed after March 2020 Gov Brown ‘s Carbon Policy Executive Orders. Find more information at Renew Oregon site HERE.

Mark your calendars: Oregon Dept of Lands and Conservation Development: Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities, Rulemaking Effort Seeks Your Guidance. More info HERE

Global/National/Federal Updates (Claudia Keith)

Biden invites 40 global leaders to a Earth day Climate summit. Biden’s administration climate strategy, send in the scientists… Biden’s Recovery $3-4T Climate Plan bets big on clean energy. March 25 interview with Domestic Climate Czar Gina McCarthy. EDF&IPI Opinion: Climate Change is a threat to our nation’s Financial Health. Find Congressional Legislation Climate highlights HERE.

Region and State:

Portland s Clean Energy Fund set to bankroll first projects for

communities of color, marginalized residents. Climate Activists in Portland chain themselves to a Boat on Morrison Bridge. Offshore Wind for Oregon And America. Has Eugene Oregon found a Super-Power for Climate Action? Oregon charging ahead on clean energy. Oregon’s new Cap and Reduce program takes shape but much debate remains. A Bold new vision for PNW forests. The best carbon capture technology, leaving Forests alone. Amid climate crisis, a proposal to save Washington state forests for carbon storage, not logging. Climate groups push Congress for 100% clean Renewable energy standards. This is session 1 of a 2 day Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force meeting that took place on March 23. OPB: California has new idea for homes threatened by sea level rise… Washington Commissioner ask insurers to craft consent policies with Tribes. Via OSU: The pandemic has inspired, mobilized local climate change movements.

Agency and Commissions:

Find updates across many agencies on the State of Oregon ‘Action on Climate Change’ topics HERE. Find weekly 2021 updates at Oregon Greenhouse Emissions Program web page HERE. And DOE weekly blog updates HERE.

Coalition Shared Priorities:

The League is an active member of OCN, OCAP and is considering joining the Clean Energy Opportunity Coalition; all these groups prioritize the following 3 bills.

HB 2021: 100% Clean Energy (was HB 2995) HB 2475: The Oregon Energy Affordability Act HB 2842: Healthy Homes

Transportation – Julie Chapman

HB 2744 -1 Continues the conversation about transferring jurisdiction for poorly maintained state highways in Regions 2, 3, 4 and 5 from ODOT to local governance. A lot of heartbreaking testimony about highway deaths on these poorly maintained corridors, that under state control, do not meet the local safety and maintenance standards. Elected officials were insistent that ODOT provide funding for this delayed maintenance ahead of transfer.

Clean Energy and Other Topics (Kathy Moyd and Greg Martin)

HB 2021 had its first Public Hearing on March 22. A major concern expressed in the testimony was that Amendment-1 said “By 2040, or sooner if practicable, a retail electricity provider shall seek to provide only nonemitting electricity to the provider’s retail electricity consumers.” It was known at the time of the Hearing that this was not the final amendment. HB 2021 and HB 3180, which is similar to HB 2021-3, were scheduled to have Public Hearings on March 29; they have now been moved to April 5. LWVOR plans to provide testimony at least for HB 2021.

SB 333-4 regarding a study of renewable hydrogen had its Work Session on March 23. LWVOR had provided testimony for the Public Hearing. Amendment-4 and the Bill were passed with a 5-0 vote.

HB 2479-1, which includes “black carbon” in the definition of “global warming”, had its Work Session on March 24. LWVOR provided testimony at the Public Hearing, which included black carbon (soot) causing earlier melting of snow and glaciers in the Cascades. Amendment-1 and the Bill were passed with a 4-2 vote.

HB 3278 The Bill as printed directs the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, in consultation with Department of State Lands and State Parks and Recreation Department, to study potential for developing commercial seaweed production to produce feed for livestock as means to reduce methane emissions. Following the Public Hearing on March 24, where the representative from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated they were not the appropriate agency to lead the study, Amendment-1 was posted specifying the Department of Agriculture to perform the study in partnership with Oregon State University. LWVOR provided testimony. The Public Hearing is scheduled for April 12.

Other bills being followed. Note: Bills must be passed by the relevant Committee by April 13 to continue being considered. All are in the initiating Energy and Environment Committee unless otherwise noted.

HB 3375 Establishes goal of planning for development of three gigawatts of commercial scale floating offshore wind energy projects within federal waters off Oregon Coast by 2030. The Public Hearing was moved from April 5 to March 31; the Work Session is still scheduled for April 12.

HB 2190 directs the State Department of Energy to convene work group to develop program awarding grants for community energy resilience projects and implement program no later than January 1, 2023. The Public Hearing is scheduled for April 7; the Work Session is scheduled for April 12.

HB 2189 directs the Public Utility Commission to conduct a study related to renewable energy and to provide results of study in report to interim committees of Legislative Assembly related to energy no later than September 15, 2021. Sunsets January 2, 2022. Declares emergency, effective on passage. No amendment to replace the generic text has been posted. The Public Hearing has been moved to April 12 to be followed by a possible Work Session. HB 2021 had its first Public Hearing on March 22. A major concern expressed in the testimony was that Amendment-1 said “By 2040, or sooner if practicable, a retail electricity provider shall seek to provide only nonemitting electricity to the provider’s retail electricity consumers.” It was known at the time of the Hearing that this was not the final amendment. HB 2021 and HB 3180, which is similar to HB 2021-3, were scheduled to have Public Hearings on March 29; they have now been moved to April 5. LWVOR plans to provide testimony at least for HB 2021.

SB 333-4 regarding a study of renewable hydrogen had its Work Session on March 23. LWVOR had provided testimony for the Public Hearing. Amendment-4 and the Bill were passed with a 5-0 vote.

Jordan Cove Energy Project (JCEP) (Shirley Weathers)

There is no news directly related to JCEP to report at this time.

SB 392, Relating to fugitive emissions study (Shirley Weathers)

SB 392A-Engrossed (not yet available at this writing) was referred on March 24 to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Natural Resources due to its $300,000 fiscal impact statement. The LWVOR supports.

SCR 17, Establishing an environmental justice framework of principles for the State of Oregon (Shirley Weathers)

The Senate Energy and Environment Committee voted unanimously in its March 23 work session to move the bill forward with a Do Adopt recommendation. It is headed to the Senate Floor. LWVOR submitted testimony in support.