OLCV Talk

House Passes Limits on New Coal Plants, Bill Heads to Governor

Oregon House members passed SB 101 on a 37-21 vote today. The bill, which now heads to the Governor, sets standards for long-term investments in new energy sources, setting significant barriers to new coal plants. (More about the bill)

Representative Cannon carried the bill on the floor. Reps. Berger and Jenson joined 35 Democrats voting aye. All 21 No votes were from Republicans. Reps. Komp and Thatcher were excused.

Bam! Senate Moves to Limit New Coal Plants in Oregon

The Oregon Senate just took a step against future coal plants in Oregon.

Senate Bill 101, an OCN Priority Bill, 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 for cost and energy stability, but is a significant step forward in Oregon's path to a clean energy future. The bill, carried on the floor by Senator Walker, now heads to the House.

The vote was 17-11, with Senator Nelson joining 16 Democrats in voting aye, and Senator Johnson joining 10 Republicans voting nay. Senators Boquist and Devlin were excused.

Senate Moves Forward on Reducing Pollution from Fuel - Hooray!

On a 16-14 vote, the Oregon Senate just passed a stripped-down version of House Bill 2186. As amended in the Senate, the bill allows the state to develop a low-carbon fuel standard, which would reduce the carbon dioxide pollution from fuel by 10% by 2020. If the changes are agreed to by the House, and the bill signed by the Governor, Oregon will join California and eleven Northeast states in moving toward low carbon fuels.

The bill now includes a sunset of Dec 31, 2015, requiring renewal of the goal. It is expected that the standard would require about 2.5% reduction in pollution from fuel by that sunset.

The bill also allows the state to limit unnecessary idling by ships. Provisions to cut energy waste by improving truck aerodynamics, limiting truck idling, and prohibiting wasteful replacement tires were stripped from the bill in the Senate.

Oregon Senate Passes Bill to Cut Energy Waste from Buildings

The Oregon Senate just passed SB 79, a bill to cut energy waste and improve energy independence, on a 20-9 vote. Sen. Monroe carried the bill on the floor, and Sens. Winters and Nelson joined 18 Democrats in support of the bill. Sen. Starr was absent.

Senate Bill 79 will cut energy waste from buildings by 10 to 25 percent by ensuring building codes are updated to increase energy efficiency. This will save Oregonians and businesses money millions of dollars and increase Oregon’s energy independence.

SB 79-A 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 efficiency of residential buildings by 10 to 15%.

The bill also sets up a Task Force on Energy Performance Scores to study an energy performance scoring system for buildings, 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.

Energy used in buildings makes up about a third of Oregon’s total energy consumption.

Making significant improvements in reducing energy waste will:

* Cut energy bills, saving Oregon businesses and consumer millions of dollars. Energy wasted is money wasted. Saving energy through conservation means saving money, and reduced energy demand allows our utilities to avoid huge investments in new facilities.

* Increase Oregon’s energy independence. Oregonians spent $9.4 billion in 2008 on imported fossil fuels. Reducing the demand for energy reduces the need to build expensive new capacity and infrastructure.

* Create jobs for Oregonians and build companies. Oregon leads the nation in green jobs; this bill would spur even more jobs in energy efficiency and retrofitting buildings.

The bill, one of the Oregon Conservation Network's Priorities for a Healthy Oregon, now heads to the Oregon House. Thanks to all the legislators who worked on this bill!

How Is Oregon's Environment Faring This Session?

It’s been a busy five months at the Capitol, and as the session enters its final weeks, we still have a lot of work to do.

Hundreds of environmental bills were introduced this session, an even dozen of which we prioritized, on six key issues. As of today, only two priority bills have made it to the Governor. In short, the session hasn’t exactly gone swimmingly.

 

While the session is not over, right now legislators have a lot of work to do to meet the bar set by the 2007 session, when the Oregon Legislature moved the state forward to fight climate change, fight toxins in rivers, expand the bottle bill, and more. That session was defined by groundbreaking legislation that set goals for reducing global warming pollution and spurred the growth of local renewable energy sources.

 

But a lot has changed since 2007 – most obviously, the state of our economy. And while the climate crisis offers Oregon a chance to create local jobs for Oregon families (The New York Times reports today Oregon leads the nation in green jobs), the 2009 Legislature has yet to send any of the four Oregon Conservation Network priority climate bills to the Governor. The state’s budget woes have proven to be a powerful distraction, and an excuse for inaction.

 

That’s not to say we haven’t seen some small and not-so-small victories, such as:

• TriMet and the Lane Transit District will be able to more adequately fund transit.
• People who dump non-native fish into Oregon lakes and rivers will face increased penalties.
• Oregon’s rivers will be protected from phosphates in household dishwashing soap.
• Homeowners will be able to use gray water to water their lawns and gardens.
• Penalties for corporate polluters will be increased for the first time in 36 years.

 

A critical climate bill, House Bill 2186, passed the House last month, but has yet to pass the Senate. And the House passed a consensus bill (HB 3013) related to OCN's Marine Reserves priority, which is now in the Senate.

Yet the Legislature has missed some opportunities -- like making Oregon's bottle bill more robust -- and may even send the state backwards on climate. Here are some of the battles we’re fighting right now:

 

• HB 2186 - the Senate may considerably weaken the version the House passed, or not take it up at all.
• We may end up fighting against Senate Bill 80, which could be irreparably altered to benefit corporate polluters. Sadly, this bill was once the centerpiece of this session’s climate and jobs package.
• HB 2940 would dramatically cut Oregon’s commitment to our clean energy, undermining the Renewable Energy Standard targets passed in 2007.
• Liquefied natural gas and HB 3058: It’s been an all-session battle against out-of-state corporations determined to site their dirty LNG facilities in our beautiful state. The House passed HB 3058, and it now sits in the Senate. A story in Monday’s Oregonian highlights the battle of grassroots organizations fighting the deep-pocketed fossil fuels energy industry.

 

The session isn't over yet. There's still time for significant progress on climate, water, marine reserves, and invasive species this session. There’s still time to stop major threats and pass key bills that will protect the Oregon we love. That’s what we’re fighting for… Stay tuned.

What Creates Jobs, Reduces Energy Consumption, and Fights Global Warming?

Note: the below was written by Phaedra Booth, our Policy Fellow this session... I was able to attend a press conference last Friday with Sen. Merkley and Rep. Blumenauer, and Reps. Bailey and Read, where they visited a home in Southeast Portland that would benefit from the Act - Evan

What Creates Jobs, Reduces Energy Consumption, and Fights Global Warming?

Answer: the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Technology Act of 2009 (EEAST), otherwise known as House Bill 2626-A.

The idea is simple: energy efficiency is the fastest and cheapest way to create jobs and create energy sovereignty.

Sustainable energy solutions for businesses and homeowners like solar panels, solar hot water, and geothermal heat pumps not only make sense, they save money, and often put clean energy back onto the grid. In addition to immediate tangible benefits resulting from projects like as these, such as making utility bills cheaper, promoting green industry is a cost effective and efficient way to stimulate local economies and create jobs for professionals who are currently out of work.

House Bill 2626-A, spear-headed by Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland - at microphone) and Rep. Tobias Read (D-Beaverton - behind) does this by creating new, low-interest loans, structured so monthly payments are lower than the amount of money saved each month from the energy savings from the new energy-efficiency projects. This allows the upfront cost of the project to be spread over the life of the loan and allow building owners to see the immediate financial benefits of making clean energy investments. Because the building owners have lower total energy costs—even with the loan payment—the loan is an amazingly secure investment and will attract keen investors.

The bill was moved out of the Oregon House Revenue Committee today, and heads to the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

This is an idea so bold and forward thinking it is currently being considered in Washington, DC, where Congressman Blumenauer (at top, with Rep. Bailey) and Senator Merkley (at left) plan to introduce similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.  The Oregon duo are working to make this concept materialize in Congress this year.

Oregon once again finds herself a ripe proving ground for innovative ideas and where the rubber of smart leadership hits the road.

WSJ: Peak Oil Happened Last Year; Oregon Legislators Face Vote Soon

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that analysts at the financial institution Raymond James are finding we reached, and passed, peak oil production last year.

"Raymond James’s notes that non-OPEC oil production apparently peaked in the first quarter of 2007, and given precipitous falls in oil output from Russia to Mexico, there’s not much hope for a recovery. OPEC production—and thus global output—peaked a little later, in the first quarter of 2008, Raymond James says.

The contention rests on a simple argument: OPEC oil production actually fell even as oil prices were above $100 a barrel, a sign of the “tyranny of geology” that limits the easy production of ever-more crude."

Sadly, many Oregon legislators are still wringing their hands about whether to support bills that reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels of the past like House Bill 2186. Hopefully they'll act to protect consumers and build Oregon's future economy and vote to support it.

Reconnecting with the Universe: House Passes Greenlick's Dark Sky Bill

Why light the sky?

From an airplane at night, it's easy to see city lights. While showing us the outlines of cities, they also show us wasting energy to light the sky.

Outdoor lights are meant to help people see the ground and things moving near the ground, yet a significant amount of light heads upwards, to be seen by no one and to have no use. We spend energy, burn coal, and create global warming pollution, only to project the light upwards where it's wasted. If only there were a smarter way to build light fixtures, so that we used our energy to project light where we wanted it... Enter Rep. Mitch Greenlick, stage left.
Today the Oregon House passed Greenlick's House Bill 3367, the Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act (SOLA), by a 44-2 vote.

The bill does three things. It requires utilities to give consumers the choice of a shielded/Dark Sky fixture, outlaws inefficient mercury vapor lighting fixtures, and makes Dark Sky lights the preferred alternative for public buildings unless another option would be cheaper over the lifetime of the fixtures.

The bill, which now moves to the Senate, not only helps reduce wasted energy and reduce pollution from mercury lights, it helps us appreciate the beauty of the nighttime skies.

As a kid, I remember seeing the Milky Way. But living in the city means that's a treat reserved for backpacking. Astronomers from around the world are increasingly worried about light pollution interfering with our ability to see and understand the heavens. The dark sky movement has a simple aim: making sure we can connect with the universe. Here's to hoping the Senate helps us do so and moves the bill forward.

Read more

A special presentation: Why Repower Oregon?

Why Repower Oregon?

Join us for a special presentation on the benefits of taking responsible, immediate action in the fight against global warming vs. the high cost of doing nothing.

WHEN: 6- 8 PM, Thursday, April 16, 2009
WHERE:  United First Methodist Chuch, in the Carrier Room, 600 State Street (down the street from the Capitol in Salem)

Speakers:

Bill Bradbury, Former Secretary of State
Bill served in the Oregon legislature for 14 years representing portions of Oregon's south coast as a State Representative and as a State Senator.  He also held the positions of Senate Majority Leader and Senate President.

Bill sits as a member of Oregon’s Global Warming Advisory Commission, a group tasked with making recommendations to the legislature on how Oregon will meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals and tackle the adaptation challenges created by the impacts of climate change. He was one of the first 50 participants in Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Change training sessions and has given over 110 presentations.

Representative Jules Bailey, Senior Policy Analyst at ECONorthwest
Jules works at the intersection of economics, public policy, the environment, and urban development. As a Senior Policy Analyst at ECONorthwest, one of Oregon's oldest and most respected economics consulting firms, Jules has worked on several economic analysis and development projects, including managing the economic analysis for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project, conducting an economic impact projection for the Portland High Performance Green Building Policy, analyzing a state system of carbon taxes for Oregon, and writing a literature review of smart growth policies.

Bob Stacey, Exective Director at 1000 Friends of Oregon
Bob has a long history with 1000 Friends and with land use and growth management.  He was one of 1000 Friends’ first staff attorneys (1975 - 1986), and served on the board of directors (1996 – 2000).  His professional career includes work as Director of the City of Portland Planning Bureau; Senior Policy Advisor on Urban Growth Management to Governor Barbara Roberts; attorney in private practice; Executive Director of Policy and Planning at TriMet; and Chief of Staff to Congressman Earl Blumenauer.  He is a graduate of Reed College and the University of Oregon, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2000-2001 academic year.  In 2008, he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.  He is a native Oregonian.

Catherine Thommason, MD, President of Physicians for Social Responsibility
Dr. Catherine Thomasson is a Staff Physician and Resident Educator at Portland State University. She was elected President of National Physicians for Social Responsibility's Board of Directors for 2007 and was PSR Oregon Board President for 5 years.  She has been a national spokesperson educating on issues of health effects of Global Warming and its solutions as well as working to build coalitions to encourage better legislation within Oregon to address greenhouse gas emissions.  In Oregon, she also worked on advisory panels including Portland-Multnomah Climate Plan, Multnomah County West Nile Prevention Task Force and Portland, Oregon Water Treatment Policy decisions. Dr. Thomasson received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and her Medical Degree from Wayne State University. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Please register to attend.

Now that's Some Branding: World's Greenest Building in Independence

A quick squib - which many of Oregon's fantastic leading green builders may quibble over.

Someone testifying this morning in favor of retaining Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit cited his project to build "The World's Greenest Building" - as determined by its LEED score - in Independence, Oregon (Rep. Vicki Berger's district). The project is slated to include office, retail, and residential space.

As we look to making the US energy independent, and have Oregon play a leading role in reaching that goal, it's good to have people pushing to be the best in the world.