SalemWatch: Nearing the End?
Each week we will update you on any of OCN’s priorities when there is news to report. For the complete list and overview of the Priorities for a Healthy Oregon visit www.oregonpriorities.org VICTORY! Marine Reserves Bill to the Governor
House Bill 3013A passed the Senate on a 24-3 vote Wednesday, and heads to the Governor! The bill outlines a detailed plan and timeline to complete evaluation of six potential marine reserve sites recommended by the Governor’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council. The consensus bill establishes two pilot marine reserve projects at Otter Rock near Depoe Bay and Redfish Rocks near Port Orford and prescribes a process to evaluate the potential for reserves in four other areas of the coast. The bill outlines a balanced and diverse procedure for the planning of Oregon’s new marine reserves, including the development of regional community groups that will assist with the shaping of potential marine reserve sites: Cape Falcon north of Manzanita, Cascade Head north of Lincoln City, Cape Perpetua south of Yachats and Cape Arago-Seven Devils south of Coos Bay.
Congratulations! This is a huge victory for the state of Oregon. Read more about it in The Daily Astorian.
Contact: Kristin Leonard, Our Ocean, (503) 320-9427 House Bill 2220 would allow the creation of mobile boat check stations to allow boats to be inspected and cleaned if needed, to prevent the introduction of invasive snails and mussels into Oregon's waterways. HB 2220 also increases the penalties for intentionally introducing invasive species, something that can happen when fisherman stock a favorite non-native fish in the wrong lake. Such an action required a $6 million eradication effort in Southern Oregon's Diamond Lake just three years ago. The bill was voted out of the Ways and Means Committee with only one No vote, and moves to the House floor for a vote.
House Bill 2020 would set up an earmarked fund to respond quickly to invasive species outbreaks. Quick response to eradicate invasive species can save Oregon taxpayers millions of dollars, and prevent expensive damages to key industries such as Oregon’s billion-dollar-a-year nursery industry. HB 2020 moved from the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources to the full Ways and Means Committee earlier today.
Contact: Tom Wolf, Trout Unlimited, (503) 883-1102
Implement Global Warming Solutions Senate Bill 79, Energy Efficient Buildings: To the House floor Senate Bill 79, one of OCN’s four priority climate bills, will cut energy waste from buildings 10 to 25 percent by ensuring building codes are updated to increase energy efficiency. This will save Oregon families and businesses millions of dollars and increase Oregon’s energy independence. SB 79 directs the Department of Consumer and Business Services to update the state’s building code to improve energy efficiency from new nonresidential buildings by 15 to 25%, and improve the efficiency of residential buildings by 10 to 15%. The bill also directs DCBS to develop a “Reach Code” – a set of optional construction standards that go beyond the building code, and directs DCBS to create uniform energy conservation standards for new or retrofitted buildings.
The bill passed the Senate (20-9) earlier this week, and is now on its way to the House for a floor vote.
Contact: Evan Manvel, Oregon Conservation Network, 503-515-8548 House Bill 2186, Low-Hanging Climate Policies Bill, Dramatically Changed but Moving: Vote on Senate Floor early next week. House Bill 2186 is a common-sense bill to create jobs, increase energy independence and fight climate change. The Senate Rules Committee recently amended the bill and it now moves to the floor. The Committee removed key provisions on cutting energy waste from trucks and limiting high-polluting truck idling, as well as removing efforts to prevent the sales of cheap replacement tires that reduce gas mileage. The Committee also inserted a December 31, 2015 sunset to the law’s authorization to cut global-warming pollution from fuel by 10% by 2020, meaning that effort will need to be reauthorized by future legislatures.
On the positive side, the Committee added studies of truck efficiency and idling and a key task force to design legislation connecting land use, transportation, and global warming pollution in Oregon’s six metro areas. The policies in the bill have already been studied for years and would save consumers and businesses fuel and money. We should see a vote on the Senate floor early next week.
Contact: Evan Manvel, Oregon Conservation Network, (503) 515-8548
Senate Bill 101, Avoiding Risky Investments in Coal Plants: In full Ways and Means Senate Bill 101 would ensure electric utilities would not enter into new long-term contracts with dirty coal plants, and future long-term contracts are for energy sources that are at least as clean as natural gas generating facilities. The bill has several exemptions, but is a significant step forward in Oregon’s path to a clean energy future. The bill moved out of the Joint Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee and is now in front of the full Ways and Means Committee.
Contact: Jeff Bissonnette, Citizens’ Utility Board, (503) 516-1636 The Oregon House recently passed House Bill 3058, which would speed up the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipelines. The Oregon Conservation Network has declared this bill a major threat to a healthy Oregon, as LNG emits much more global warming pollution over its life cycle than domestic gas. The bill would allow out-of-state LNG corporations like Texas-based NorthernStar Natural Gas to get dredge and fill permits on other Oregonians’ land, and waste state agency time processing permits that may never be used. There simply is no need to accelerate the siting of damaging, dirty, expensive LNG facilities to serve California's energy demands.
Click here to urge your Senators to vote no on this bill! Contact: Evan Manvel, OLCV/Oregon Conservation Network, (503) 515-8548
HB 2940: Erosion of the Renewable Energy Standard Status: In Senate Rules Committee The Senate is considering House Bill 2940, which would cause damaging erosion to Oregon’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES). Currently, the RES requires Oregon utilities to provide their customers with 25% new renewable energy by 2025. As currently amended, HB 2940 would dramatically cut the amount of new renewable energy required by the RES. If HB 2940 passes, that means much less new renewable energy - and associated greenhouse-gas emissions reductions, jobs, property-tax income, landowner payments, and other economic benefits – would be serving Oregon families. The bill represents a giant step backward for clean energy in Oregon, and conservation groups around the state are opposed to it. Please contact Senate President Peter Courtney to express your opposition to HB 2940 and ask him to vote No, or follow this link to an email that is ready to be sent to your legislator today.
Contact: Suzanne Leta Liou, Renewable Northwest Project, (503) 223-4544
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1.Toxic Flame Retardant Bill - To Governor!
Senate Bill 596 - The decabrominated diphenyl ether (deca) flame retardant ban passed the House with a 39-19 vote despite heavy lobbying from the chemical industry by their front group “Citizens for Fire Safety”. The bill phases out the use of deca by prohibiting its use in new consumer products including televisions, computers, mattresses and upholstered furniture. Oregon now joins Maine, Washington and Vermont as states with decaBDE bans.
A broad coalition of supporters came together to support this bill in a desire to protect public health, clean water, fish and wildlife. Special thanks to Sen. Hass and Sen. Dingfelder for championing the bill and to Rep. Cannon who carried the bill in the House. Credit also goes to Sen. Monnes-Anderson and Rep. Berger whose leadership back in 2005 led to the first step in removing penta-DBE and octa-DBE and helped pass SB 596 this session.
Contact: Sue Marshall, Confluence Consulting, (971) 506-4617 This bill passed out of subcommittee and is now in the Full Ways and Means Committee.
3. Two Water Resources Bills Move to Full Ways and Means
Senate Bill 788 adjusts the fee schedule for the Water Resources Department to reach 50% cost recovery. Currently WRD recovers only 30% of the cost of administering state water rights, while Oregon taxpayers foot the bill for private water users to have their water right transactions processed by the state. There is no charge for the water itself. Increasing cost recovery is long past due. Environmental groups support fully funding WRD. While environmental groups support some increased cost recovery, protecting Oregon’s clean air and water is a public service that serves all Oregonians and deserves funding from the General Fund. 4. Rural Unemployment Reductions and Living-Wage Jobs Opportunities Stability Act
House Bill 2228, having passed in both House (31-28) and Senate (16-12), is on its way to the Governor! The bill, championed by Rep. Judy Stiegler, will help preserve wildlife habitat and create public recreation opportunities, while fostering sustainable timber practices. It allows development of up to 282 homes on 1200 acres of the Skyline Forest, while preserving 30,000 acres of forest and designating 35,000 for public recreation and sustainable timber practices.
Groups who worked on this project include Deschutes Land Trust, Fidelity National Timber Resources, Central Oregon LandWatch, and others. According to Brad Chalfant at Deschutes Land Trust, “this has been one of the largest, most complicated forest conservation projects ever attempted in this country.” Congrats to Rep. Stiegler.
Contact: Danielle Welliever, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 503-497-1000.
Coming Up... Representative Chuck Riley Saturday, June 20
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