2007: An Environmental Victory

The Priorities for a Healthy Oregon reflect the most important actions for the 2007 Legislature to take in addressing Oregon's environmental challenges, as decided by a coalition of more than 40 conservation groups.

OCN Priorities that are now law:

Creating Oregon’s Electronic Recycling Program

HB 2626 – Creates a program that establishes manufacturer responsibility for the end of life free recycling of computers, laptops, monitors and televisions. Establishes a landfill ban for these products.

Promoting Clean and Renewable Energy

SB 838 – Establishes a renewable energy standard so that 25% of Oregon’s electrical power needs to be met by renewable energy sources by 2025.

SB 375 – Establishes minimum efficiency standards for a number of home and commercial appliances.

HB 2620 – Provides that public improvement contracts for construction or major renovations of public buildings appropriate at least 1.5% of the total contract price for solar energy technology.

HB 2211 – Expands the business energy tax credits available for renewable energy investments (concepts put into omnibus bill)

HB 2212 – Expands the residential energy tax credits available for renewable energy investments (concepts put into omnibus bill)

Measure 37 Reform

HB 3540 – Refers to the voters a fix of many of the substantive problems with Measure 37

HB 3546 – Grants a 360 day extension to the current 180 day deadline for processing Measure 37 claims.

Independence through Renewable Fuels

HB 2210 – Establishes the renewable fuel standard and provides incentives for Oregon biofuel production

Closing the Toxic Pollution Loophole

SB 737 - Provides Oregon with a first ever “roadmap” for reducing and eliminating sources of toxic pollution in our rivers, streams and the Pacific Ocean.

Environmental groups also worked hard to get other environmental legislation passed.

Other Important Environmental legislation that is now law

Expanding Oregon’s Bottle Bill

SB 707 – Expands Oregon’s bottle bill to include water containers and establishes a bottle bill task force.

Protecting Oregon’s Coastal Ecosystems and Wetlands

SB 790 – Places a moratorium on offshore drilling of gas or sulfur off of Oregon’s coast until 2010.

Protecting Oregon’s Farmland and Special Places

SB 336 – Incorporates consideration of schools when land use planning decisions are made

SB 1011 - Allows for better long term planning, by streamlining the process for communities to designate rural and urban reserves outside of the UGB. This provides longer term planning certainty for both the agricultural sector, and for urban expansions, by requiring there to be rural reserves earmarked when the urban reserves are identified through the streamlined process.

HB 2051 – Companion bill to SB 1011 which grants Metro a 2 year extension to complete the inventory and analysis for urban and rural reserves has already been signed by the Governor.

Reducing Toxics in our Wastewater

SB 704 - Requires dentists to have an amalgam separator installed in any wastewater drain if materials containing mercury pass through the drain.

Preventing Global Warming

HB 3543 – Codifies greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and creates the Oregon Global Warming Commission which coordinates local and state efforts to halt growth of greenhouse gas emissions. It will also fund the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.

Improving Oregon’s Air Quality

HB 2172 – Promotes cleaner diesel engines and directs the Environmental Quality Commission to establish goals to reduce diesel emissions.

HB 2105 – Increases the fees charged by DSL for permits to remove or fill material.

Protecting Oregon’s Farmland and Special Places

HB 2723 – Gives cities and counties the ability to create a process that legalizes illegally divided lots or parcels that were purchased without knowledge of the legal status of the land. It also creates safeguards to put a stop to the sale of illegal lots to unsuspecting purchasers, which protects natural resource lands from inappropriate fragmentation and provides certainty in the real estate market.

SB 514 - Allows land presently subject to farm and forestland special assessment to be transferred to a conservation easement without payment of additional taxes, making it more attractive for landowners to utilize conservation easements.

OCN also made fighting damaging rollbacks part of their 2007 Priorities.

Environmental Rollbacks we stopped

HB 3525 – Referred to as "The Columbia River Water Grab," this bill would've allowed permanent withdrawal of 500,000 acre feet of water annually from the Columbia River to benefit a handful of eastern Oregon farmers.

HB 3099 – The bill would've required every city in Oregon with populations of over 10,000 to fluoridate their water, usurping many jurisdictions who have voted to keep fluoride out of their drinking water. This bill has been amended to provide a onetime opt out election, but this introduces numerous complications for cities who provide water to other districts and cities. Recent scientific studies suggest health concerns with forcing everyone to ingest fluoride in their tap water, especially infants who drink formula.

SB 235: Would have been a rollback as originally filed. IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED A ROLLBACK:

This bill updates the state air program to apply the Clean Air Act to large concentrated animal feeding operations. The Ways and Means Committee backed away from language supported by the conservation community and small farming groups that created air quality standards for hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, and which proactively protected air quality in the Columbia River Gorge. Instead, SB 235 establishes a diverse state Task Force to develop policy recommendations to address growing air pollution problems from large dairy operations. The Task Force is a good first step to addressing air quality concerns related to large factory farms in Oregon, but the bill stopped short of setting new air quality standards in 2008 supported by conservation and rural community groups.

Senate Bill 994 – Budget bill that contains a rollback.

It would transfer $4.6 million from the Energy Trust's budget to pay for a long-term debt held by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). It misleads the public, detailing a deduction on PGE ratepayers’ bills as a fee for energy conservation and renewable energy, when in reality the fee is a tax that will be deducted to pay OMSI's debt. (It's important to note that OMSI did not ask for the assistance to come from this source.)

Environmental Rollback we did not stop

SB 665 -Expands development allowed in conjunction with speedway destination site to include permanent housing units. Limits time for Department of Land Conservation and Development to review proposed changes to acknowledged comprehensive plan and land use regulations. Prohibits review by Land Use Board of Appeals and limits review of appellate courts.

In the guise of economic development, SB 665 rejects Oregon’s long-held policy of conserving rural resource land and directing urban development to existing communities. Good economic development is strengthened, not hindered, by land use planning.

We have requested the Governor to Veto Senate Bill 665

We will keep working...

OCN Priority Bills that did not pass

HB 2876 - Would have required the Department of Energy to reduce energy consumption in existing public buildings by 20% by 2015 and requires new building projects incorporate energy efficient designs.

SB 576 - Would have required major facility projects to be planned, designed, constructed and renovated to meet sustainable building standards.

Other Important Environmental bills that did not pass

Protecting Oregon’s Water Resources

HB 2566 - Would have set a $250 fee for new exempt wells which will provide additional funding for groundwater studies which will help local governments when deciding future land use actions. This fee could provide up to $1 million for these studies which will benefit current and future groundwater users.

Protecting Oregon’s Farmland and Special Places

SB 30 – Would have protected the Metolius Basin from the proposed development of destination resorts.