2025 End of Legislative Session Wrap Up

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By Cherice Bock

Oregon’s legislative session finished up with a flurry of activity late Friday night (June 27), passing several of our priority bills. Concerningly, the session did not result in large-scale progress on climate justice priorities, and it ended without approval of a transportation package. That said, several of the bills we advocated for did pass, and none of the bills we opposed moved forward. Here is a brief overview of where our priority bills ended up:

Transportation

  • Transportation was supposed to be this session’s major accomplishment, since this is the session where Oregon needs to fund its transportation plan for the next 8 years. After major negotiations and no written bill until late in the session, a transportation package failed to pass. 
  • Along with the Move Oregon Forward coalition, we made it clear that Oregonians want to see more support for public transit, rail, and vehicle electrification infrastructure, and that we want less emphasis on highway expansions. 
  • A proposed bill, HB 2025, did not have everything we wanted, but went a long way toward restructuring transportation oversight, prioritizing completion of delayed road maintenance, and attempting to replace diminishing gas tax revenue in as equitable a way as possible.
  • It is unclear what will happen next, since the state needs to fund ODOT; perhaps there will be a special session.

Passed!

Climate risk to the Treasury’s portfolio

  • With the Divest Oregon coalition, we supported HB 2081, the Treasury’s bill requiring analysis and management of climate risk in the Public Employee Retirement System portfolio.

Utilities and electrical grid

  • Grid Enhancing Technologies (HB 3336) will help existing electricity transmission lines become more efficient, more wildfire safe, and updated to existing technologies, which reduces the need to build new transmission lines.
  • The FAIR Energy Act (HB 3179) reins in the impact of utility rate hikes by limiting how often utilities can raise billing rates, and prohibits residential rate increases during peak winter months.
  • POWER Act (HB 3546) also addresses energy affordability: it directs regulators to hold large energy users accountable for paying for their own energy costs, such as data centers, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence facilities.
  • As Oregon utilities experiment with alternative forms of energy production such as hydrogen blending with “natural” gas (methane), the Hydrogen Oversight & Public Notice Act (SB 685) ensures that customers will be informed and have recourse to comment about such projects.
  • Performance-Based Regulation of Electrical Utilities (SB 688) creates tools to make sure utility profits align with actual performance outcomes: wildfire safety, grid reliability, and lower bills for ratepayers.

Climate Resilience

  • $2 million for Farmworker Disaster Relief (HB 3193) was included in a final budget bill (HB 5006). This funding allows farmworkers to take days off while still receiving pay when there is poor air quality from wildfire smoke or in cases of extreme weather.

Bills we opposed that did not move forward:

Nuclear

  • The session began with 13 bills to open new nuclear facilities without having a plan for nuclear waste disposal. Our advocacy with the Keep Oregon Nuclear Free coalition helped stop these bills from passing. 

Forest bills

  • HB 3103 did not pass. It would have set “sustainable” timber harvest levels as a quota that would have to be met by the state forester, rather than the current upper limit with discretion based on changing needs and circumstances.
  • SB 876 did not move forward. It suggested allowing the sale of 7,000 acres of state forest land to Coos County for subsequent sale to private companies.

Bills we support that did not move forward:

Unfortunately, this session included many excellent bills that will not be moving forward this year. Here are some:

  • Make Polluters Pay (SB 1187) had overwhelming public support, but didn’t move forward this session. It will likely return again next year!
  • Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub bills: HB 3450, which would require DEQ to make a transition plan regarding the CEI Hub, will be worked on between sessions and hopefully will return next year with more input from advocates. Other CEI Hub-related bills also did not move forward (HB 2949, 2151, 2152).
  • Building Resilience bills: due to lack of funding, Get the Junk Out of Rates (SB 88), One Stop Shop for energy rebates 2.0 (HB 3081), and funding requests for low-income homeowner and rental heat pump programs did not pass.
  • A bill to update greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals (HB 3477) again failed to pass, after not moving forward in 2024. This is a sorely needed update to Oregon’s laws.
  • Climate and forest budget asks: funds such as renewal of the Community Resilience Hubs (HB 3170), the Natural & Working Lands Fund, and for Private Forest Accord implementation were not included in the budget.

While we’re disappointed in our legislature this year, we are immensely grateful to be part of a community that speaks up! Through our collective efforts, we were able to send hundreds of emails to legislators, attend four issue-related lobby days, organize a climate justice lobby day with our friends at 350 Eugene, and express our concerns on the phone and at town halls throughout the session. The efforts to pass these important policies will continue, for the benefit of us all.

 

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