2011 Legislative Session a Win for Oregon’s Environment

After five months of work in the Capitol, and despite an often-contentious political divide in both legislative chambers and the presence of many anti-environment bills, 2011 was a good year for conservation issues in Oregon.

“OLCV pressed tirelessly all session to protect Oregon’s natural legacy by advocating for critical priorities and fighting major environmental threats,” said OLCV spokesman Ben DuPree. “And the result? Facing an often acrid, partisan political climate, OLCV and our Oregon Conservation Network partners fought back dozens of bad bills and passed several key conservation priorities. We didn’t win on every count, but 2011 was a good legislative year for Oregon’s environment.” 

OLCV, along with Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) partners, oversaw the passage of two top environmental priorities: modernizing Oregon’s Bottle Bill and passing the “Cool Schools” bill to protect the environment, create jobs, and look out for Oregon kids via K-12 energy efficiency and health and safety upgrades. And they helped secure funding that will establish a fledgling system of marine reserves along Oregon’s coast to protect our fisheries and coastal economy.OLCV and OCN also helped pass many other pieces of strong conservation legislation, including bills to create a person-to-person car sharing program, create a farm to school program, increase penalties for illegal wildlife killing, make shark finning illegal, mandate boat inspections to check for invasive plant species, and create balanced planning for housing within urban growth boundaries.

House Bill 3145: Oregon’s landmark Bottle Bill enters the 21st century 

“I’m delighted to have worked with OLCV and their coalition partners to modernize one of Oregon’s original environmental protections,” said Representative Ben Cannon (D-Portland), a co-sponsor of HB 3145 who carried the bill on the House floor. “When it comes to recycling and conservation, updating the Bottle Bill is just another chapter in our state’s storied history.”

HB 3145 adds beverage containers like sports drinks and teas, reduces confusion among consumers about which bottles are included, and will increase recycling rates of containers that would otherwise end up in a landfill or as litter.

House Bill 2960: “Cool Schools” a win-win-win for environment, jobs, Oregon's kids

House Bill 2960, known as “Cool Schools,” unanimously passed both the Oregon House and Senate before being signed by Governor Kitzhaber. The bill blends environmental protection, job creation, and protecting children, as it fast-tracks energy efficiency and health and safety upgrades for Oregon’s K-12 schools.

“‘Cool Schools’ passed unanimously and was signed into law because it’s smart policy for the environment, for creating jobs, and for Oregon’s kids,” said Representative Jules Bailey (D-Portland), who co-sponsored HB 2960 and carried the bill on the House floor. “I’m proud to have worked with OLCV as part the broad, bipartisan coalition that helped turn this great idea into a great law.”

“Cool Schools” was a top priority for OLCV and the conservation community because creating more sustainable schools that use energy and water more efficiently, improving indoor air quality and acoustics, and reducing harmful toxics will create jobs, save money on energy bills, and create healthier learning environments for Oregon’s children.

The Bill Graveyard: OLCV plays defense against anti-environmental legislation

Not all legislative victories are positive. Thanks in part to OLCV’s tireless defense, more than a dozen major environmental threats failed to become law in Oregon’s 2011 Legislative Session.

The bills OLCV helped defeat run the gamut of major threats to Oregon’s environment. OLCV beat back bills to gut forestry protections; preserved wildlife protections for cougars, wolves, and endangered fish populations across Oregon; fought rollbacks to our land-use planning system and protected farm and agricultural land; and protected our air and water quality by preventing dramatic cuts to the Department of Environmental Quality’s budget. 

“Every session there are bills that attempt to diminish our quality of life and roll back environmental protections across Oregon,” said Senator Jackie Dingfelder (D-Portland), who chaired the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and is the former OLCV Environmental Watchdog of the Year. “And every session I’m glad that OLCV is here to support those of us who want to do the right thing and protect our state’s great natural legacy.”