Momentum in Salem

The Oregon Conservation Network is working on several prioirty bills that are now gaining momentum! OCN is the coalition of some 50 groups coordinated by OLCV Education Fund that works to pass pro-environment laws in the Legislature. Pledge to take one Action between now and June to help protect the environment this Legislative Session!. 

Jobs and Prosperity

Energy efficiency addresses conservation needs across the spectrum of Oregon life, spurring a critical new job base for Oregonians while saving taxpayers money. House Bill 2960--the "Cool Schools" bill-- maximizes energy efficiency in Oregon’s K-12 public schools, saving money and protecting the health of students and teachers.

Protecting our children from toxic Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A disrupts children's brain development and is linked to chronic health problems, like diabetes and breast cancer. The BPA-Free Baby Bill (Senate Bill 695) prohibits the sale or manufacture of food and beverage containers containing toxic BPA intended for children under three, such as baby bottles, sippy cups, and WIC-approved infant formula cans, as well as the sale of sports water bottles containing BPA. The bill also spurs creation of a standard BPA-free product label. The Senate passed this important bill on April 7.

For more information about BPA visit the website of the Oregon Environmental Council.

Ban the Bag

Senate Bill 536 bans single-use plastic checkout bags at all retail checkout stands in Oregon. Plastic pollution has become a critical problem in our oceans, accounting for as much as 90 percent of the estimated 100 million tons of toxic trash that spirals 500 miles off the Oregon Coast. Plastic bags litter our natural areas, and interfere with the operation of municipal water and recycling facilities, costing taxpayers millions. More than 400 businesses have joined the bipartisan coalition that supports this bill. Read more about this bill.

Groups leading the charge on this unprecedented bill include Environment Oregon, Oregon Surfrider, Tualatin Riverkeepers and Willamette Riverkeeper.

Modernizing the Bottle Bill

Oregon’s iconic Bottle Bill is one of the state’s landmark environmental protections. House Bill 3145 merges the intent of the original bottle bill with modern-day realities by adding beverage containers, such as sports drinks and teas, that didn’t exist when the bill originally passed. A deposit on more containers increases the likelihood they are recycled instead of being sent to the landfill, or littering Oregon’s natural areas.

Marine Reserves

Building on the broadly supported marine reserves bill passed in the 2009 Legislative Session, this proposal accepts the Ocean Policy Advisory Council’s unanimous recommendation to add three additional sites to Oregon’s fledgling system of marine reserves and marine protected areas that protects some of Oregon's richest marine habitat. These protected areas work like “ecological savings accounts” and once designated, provide more additional scientific monitoring and eco-tourism. The reserves would allow scientific monitoring and stewardship of ecologically important areas and are the result of a coastal community process that produced strong recommendations on site boundaries and management measures after over 25,000 volunteer hours of evaluation. Each of the three community teams were made up balanced and diverse stakeholders including: scientists, commercial and recreational fishing representatives, non-fishing recreationalists, local governments, watershed council members and conservationists who worked on the proposals for more than a year to refine Oregon’s Marine Reserve Process that has spanned over ten years. (Photo: Ben Nieves)