Oregon Legislature Protects Waldo Lake!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Contact: Brian Pasko
(503) 704-2188
brian.pasko@sierraclub.org

Oregon Legislature Protects Waldo Lake
Passes Law Banning Motorboats and Sea Planes
on one of the purest lakes in the World

Early morning on Waldo Lake in central Oregon.

(SALEM, OR) —Voting  37  to 20 during a late morning session on Monday, the Oregon House of Representatives passed SB 602-A, banning the use of motorboats and seaplanes on Waldo Lake in central Oregon. This action follows last month’s 18-11 passage of the bill by the Oregon Senate. The legislation was introduced by Senator Floyd Prozanski and Representative Paul Holvey, and will now be sent to Governor Kitzhaber, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

Located near Oakridge, Waldo Lake is Oregon’s second deepest lake and rivals Crater Lake and Russia’s Lake Baikal as one of the three purest lakes in the world. The lake is so clear that boaters on its surface can look down nearly 150 feet and discern the lake’s bottom (giving one the impression of floating in outer space).

“Waldo Lake is a unique Oregon treasure,” said Brian Pasko, Director of the Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter.  “Today’s action by the Oregon legislature will protect Waldo Lake’s unique ecology and ensure that it is a place for quiet recreation and solitude to be enjoyed by Oregonians for generations to come.”

Passage of SB 602-A reaffirms a 2012 decision of the Oregon Marine Board prohibiting the use of motorized watercraft on Waldo Lake except for boats using electric motors and traveling under 10mph. The decision was made following a lengthy public comment period that engaged over 4000 Oregon citizens in the decision making process, the vast majority of which supported the motorized ban.

Following the Marine Board’s decision, the Oregon Aviation Board issued a temporary rule last year allowing sea plane landings on Waldo Lake. The Aviation Board’s decision was made contrary to the Marine Board’s determination, even though there are many large lakes near Waldo Lake that allow for safe sea plane landings and sea plane recreational opportunities. Passage of SB 602-A resolves the conflicting decisions of these two state agencies.

“Sea planes and motorized boats present a number of environmental risks to Waldo Lake, including an increased potential for the spread of invasive species and pollution of the lake through potential fuel spills, ” said Pasko. “However, Waldo Lake is also highly valued by the public as a place for quiet recreation. SB 602-A will protect the public’s expectations and support for the current management approach at Waldo Lake.”

According to Forest Service surveys, over 75% of visitors agreed that motorized boating negatively impacts their recreational experience at Waldo Lake. Almost 70% of respondents favored only allowing non-motorized boats or electric motors on Waldo Lake, and 86% favored controlling the level of noise from motorized recreation.

“This is a victory for the thousands of Oregon’s who have attended countless meetings, endured dozens of public hearings, and stood up for keeping Waldo Lake clean and quiet every step of the way,” added Sean Stevens, executive director of Oregon Wild. “The Oregon Legislature deserves great praise today for finalizing a three-decade long process to protect this special place.”

The full text of SB 602-A can be found at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measpdf/sb0600.dir/sb0602.a.pdf

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2013 Legislative Session – Bill Tracker

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

The 2013 Oregon Legislative Session is in full swing, and Sierra Club staff are closely tracking proposed bills and meeting with legislators in Salem to advocate for preservation of Oregon’s pristine wilderness, wildlife protection, and clean, renewable energy.

The following is a list of some of the environment and energy related bills that have been introduced in the 2013 Oregon Legislative Session, along with the Sierra Club’s position on those bills.

Click here for more information about these bills and their current status.

Bill Number	Description	Position
SB 357	Mandates forests to be cut at 90% of annual production levels.	Oppose
HB 2893	Require utilities to pay for unused distributed solar energy generated by homes and businesses.	Support
SB 242	Revises Energy Performance Standards to further discourage use of coal.	Support
SB 602	Adds Waldo Lake to list of non-motorized lakes in Oregon.	Support
HB 2800	Interstate 5 bridge replacement program.	Oppose
SB 401	Expands State Scenic Waterways program to discourage suction dredge mining on Oregon rivers.	Support
HB 2624	Allows conditional exemption of counties from prohibitions against cougar hunting with dogs.	Oppose
HB 3086	Allows private entities to take actions affecting sage grouse habitat with offsite mitigation measures.	Oppose
HB 2106, HB 2105	Authorizes Energy Facility Siting Council studies.	Support
HB 2939	Requires comparative energy usage disclosure program.	Support
HB 2791/SB 488	Extends Oregon’s standards for reducing amount of carbon in transportation fuels.	Support
SB 77	Limits right to appeal land use decisions.	Oppose
SJR 22	Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to establish procedure for requiring legislative review of administrative rules.	Oppose
SB 251	Expedites approval process for development plans.	Oppose
SJM 6	Local management of O&C Lands.	Oppose
HB 2027	Requires agency assistance regarding nonlethal options to reduce conflict between humans and wildlife.	Support
HB 2319	Prevents spreading of genetically engineered material to nearby property used for farming practices.	Support
HB 2427	Prohibits raising canola within Willamette Valley.	Support
SB 249	Clarifies use of certain moneys in Clean Diesel Engine Fund.	Support
HB 2793	Requires energy performance scores for residential buildings.	Support
HB 2497	Imposes carbon tax.	Support
SB 537	Convenes work group to implement carbon tax.	Support
HB 3162	Toxics disclosure for children’s products.	Support
HB 2032	Ppayments for off-site compensatory mitigation.	Support
HB 2202	Prohibits conditional approval of mining permits for mining of some exclusive farm use-zoned lands.	Support
HB 2249	Establishes Willamette River Basin Bonneville Power Administration Stewardship Fund.	Support
HB 2253	PSU to issue population studies to guide land use decisions.	Support
HB 2254	Urban growth boundary depends on population growth in small cities.	Support
HB 2256	Requires local government that expands urban growth boundary to cause renegotiation, as necessary, of urban service agreements.	Support
HB 2258	Authorizes and implements water banking.	Support
HB 2259	Increases certain fees charged by Water Resources Department.	Support
HB 2284	Requires Oregon Business Development Department to establish and administer Oregon Industrial Site Readiness Program.	Support
HB 2291	Authorizes study of rural renewable energy development zones.	Support
HB 2472	Tax credit for renewable energy resource equipment.	Support
HB 2694	Requires study on wave energy.	Support
SB 354	Authorizes issuance of bonds for development of transmission capacity for wave energy.	Support
HB 2310	Authorizes multimodal transportation funds.	Support
HB 2324	Voluntary contributions for livestock safety and wildlife protection programs.	Support
HB 2396	Adds large woody debris to definition of ‘material’ for purposes of removal-fill provisions.	Support
HB 2516	Allows moneys in Watershed Conservation Funds to be used for educating students about native fish or wildlife habitats, watersheds or ecosystems.	Support
HB 2658	Tax credits for creating jobs for removal and remedial actions.	Support
HB 2659	Authorizes brownfields study.	Support
HB 2715	Authorizes counties to establish control areas for commodities containing genetically engineered material.	Support
HB 2726	Requires agency assistance regarding nonlethal options to reduce conflict between humans and wildlife.	Support
HB 5048	Modifies OWEB budget.	Support
SB 117	Approves beverage container redemption centers.	Support
SB 196	Allows partnership between State Parks and Recreation Department and nonprofit organizations.	Support
SB 217	Imposes annual management fee on water rights.	Support
SB 247	Creates Alternative Mode Transportation Fund.	Support
SB 476	Requires agencies to prepare environmental impact statements before approving applications.	Support
HB 3364	Amends list of state agencies and public universities required to adopt integrated pest management practices.	Support
HB 2420	Requires identification of source of communication in support of or in opposition to candidate or measure.	Support
HB 2725	Off-road permits for ATV’s issued in form of identification plate rather than decal.	Support
SB 331	Increases percentage of moneys distributed for maintenance of county parks.	Support
HB 2393	Allows slaughtering, processing and selling poultry on land zoned for exclusive farm use.	Support
HB 2285	Requires Oregon Business Development Department to establish and administer Oregon Industrial Site Readiness Program.	Oppose
SB 474	Lists raccoon as potentially habituated wildlife.	Support
HB 2435	Biodiesel containing percentage of used cooking oil is excempt from fuel tax.	Support
HB 2736	Exempts farmer from liability for inadvertently having or using genetically engineered seeds or plants.	Support
HB 2820	Requires study of solar siting issues.	Support
SB 116	Creates task force to study shipping/transport of aquatic invasive species.	Support
SB 199	Expands means for acquisition of existing water rights for conversion to in-stream water right.	Support
SB 462	Restricts location of compost facilities.	Oppose
HB 3098	Authorizes owners of Young Life Washington Family Ranch to develop expansion area, exempted from state land use rules.	Oppose
SB 336	Alters standing requirements for cases involving land use regulations.	Oppose
SB 5511	Allocates money for Columbia River Gorge Commission budget.	Support
SB 844	Establishes voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction program.	Support
SB 845	Exempts some land use decisions from appeal.	Oppose
SB 838	Prohibits certain mining operations using motorized equipment.	Support
SJM 10	Urges Congress to transfer management of O&C Lands to local government.	Oppose
HB 3476	Prohibits importation of genetically engineered fish into Oregon.	Support
HB 3469	Establishes fund for protection of wild bird species.	Support
HB 3452	Describes circumstances in which gray wolves may be taken.	Oppose
HB 3492	Reduces use of toxic substances and generation of hazardous waste.	Support
HJR 16	Proposes Constitutional right to hunt, fish, and trap wildlife in Oregon.	Oppose

The Chapter’s work in the 2013 Oregon Legislature

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

The 2013 Oregon Legislative Session is in full swing, and Sierra Club staff are closely tracking proposed bills and meeting with legislators in Salem to advocate for preservation of Oregon’s pristine wilderness, wildlife protection, and clean, renewable energy. Here is a list of just a few of the bills we are working on:

• Waldo Lake:  Senate Bill 602 would ban the use of motorized floatplanes on Waldo Lake. Waldo Lake is one of Oregon’s largest natural lakes and is a destination for paddlers, hikers, and cyclists. Motorized floatplanes disrupt the peaceful serenity recreational users seek, and also pose safety concerns. Senate Bill 602 has earned a substantial amount of public support. At a public hearing on March 13, paddlers, conservationists, and native Oregonians spoke to the Senate Committee on Energy and the Environment about their appreciation for Waldo Lake and the need to keep the lake free of motorized floatplanes and boats. The bill passed out of committee on March 18 and now heads to the Senate Floor. We will continue to monitor and advocate for Senate Bill 602, and we urge you to contact your legislators and express your hope for a non-motorized Waldo Lake.
• Solar Resource Value:  House Bill 2893 would require that utilities pay for unused distributed solar energy from homes and businesses. This would replace the current pilot program in Oregon, and would encourage the expansion of solar energy, which will help Oregonians move away from reliance on fossil fuels and switch to clean energy replacements.
• Energy Performance Standards:  Senate Bill 242 would amend the Energy Performance Standards adopted in 2009, which prevent Oregon utilities from entering into contracts to provide coal-generated electricity to Oregonians. The proposed bill would require that utilities complete a formal cost-benefit analysis before upgrading any coal-fired power plants. The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign has worked hard to move Oregon past its dependence on fossil fuels and toward clean, renewable energy. Amending the Energy Performance Standards would help to ensure that Oregon utilities look to renewable sources of energy, rather than coal.
• Clean Fuels Program:  Senate Bill 488 would extend Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program, which set forth standards for reducing the amount of carbon in transportation fuels. Washington and California have similar standards. Oregon’s Clean Fuels standards are set to sunset in 2014. Senate Bill 488 would extend the program, ensuring a significantly lower amount of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. We are working with a coalition of Oregon environmental organizations to extend the Clean Fuels Program.
• Defending Renewable Portfolio Standards:  This legislative session has seen many attacks on Oregon’s Renewable Portfolio Standards, which require that large utilities source 25 percent of their energy from clean, renewable sources by 2025. House Bill 2108, House Bill 2713, and House Bill 2274 would weaken the Renewable Portfolio Standards by allowing non-renewable energy sources to qualify under the program’s standards. We are working hard to ensure that these attacks are not successful.

We are also tracking many other bills. One that we are closely watching House Bill 2106, which would set up new standards for siting any new development in sage grouse habitat in central and eastern Oregon. And as with every legislative session, we are seeing renewed attacks on wolves, cougars, and other wildlife, so we are tracking those bills closely, and working with legislators and state agencies to protect wildlife. There’s no shortage of legislative activity to keep us busy in Salem, so stay tuned for more developments!

Sierra Club Declares Oregon 2012 Session a Success for Forests and Wildlife

SALEM, Oregon – As the 2012 Oregon legislative session wound to a close on March 5, the Sierra Club declared the session a major success for Oregon’s forests and wildlife.

Significant legislation actively opposed by the Sierra Club that would have mandated unsustainably high logging levels on state forest lands, authorized lethal control of endangered wolves, and overturned a voter approved ban on hunting mountains lions with dogs all died during the short session.

Republican leaders in the evenly divided House of Representatives had made mandating higher logging levels across roughly 800,000 acres of state forestlands a top priority. The bill, HB 4098, was part of what has become a perennial effort by a handful of legislators to mandate high logging levels on state lands. But the bill was met with stiff opposition from Governor Kitzhaber and a coalition of conservation and fishing groups including the Sierra Club. While the bill passed one House committee, it died in another after a strong push by the Sierra Club and our allies.

“Oregonians want to see greater protection for old growth forests, fish, wildlife, clean water and recreational opportunities on state lands like the Tillamook, Clatsop and Elliott State Forests,” said Ivan Maluski, Conservation Director of the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club. “The annual effort at the legislature to ramp up clearcutting to unsustainable levels makes no sense, does nothing to help our economy when raw log exports are at an all time high, and ignores the tremendous economic value of recreation, clean water and salmon fisheries on public lands in the state.”

Another bill, HB 4158, would have cleared the way for killing wolves in Oregon currently protected under the state Endangered Species Act. Brought by the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association in what has become an annual attempt to make it easier to shoot wolves, this bill would have overturned a recent court ruling barring the elimination of half of Oregon’s Imnaha wolf pack, and cleared the way for greater lethal control of Oregon’s fragile, recovering wolf population, which numbers fewer than 30 animals. The bill passed the House with significant opposition, but fell flat in the Senate with thousands of Oregonians weighing in in opposition and a strong lobbying effort by the Sierra Club and other wildlife protection groups.

“With so much important business to take care of this month, it was profoundly disappointing that the legislature spent significant time debating whether to undermine protections for Oregon’s endangered wolves,” said Maluski. “Despite the objections of anti-wolf interests, the presence of wolves in Oregon brings both ecological and economic benefits to the state, and wolf recovery has become one of Oregon’s greatest conservation success stories and something we should all be proud of.”

Another piece of legislation, HB 4119, would have allowed recreational hunting of cougars with dogs on a county by county level, a rollback of Measure 18, which outlawed the practice in 1994. The state retains numerous tools to address cougars when they threaten livestock, pets or people, including the use of dogs by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife agents in limited situations. Despite this, some groups have been pushing to overturn the ban on recreational hound hunting since voters outlawed the unsportsmanlike practice nearly two decades ago. The bill passed a House committee but died in another, with the Sierra Club and other organizations that helped create the ban making a compelling case against rolling back the voter approved wildlife protection measure.

In a key conservation advancement, the Legislature also voted to create three new Marine Reserves in SB 1510. The Sierra Club has long supported an Oregon system of marine reserves, and this was a top priority of Governor Kitzhaber’s. The Legislature moved to act this year under threat of a potential citizen ballot initiative or executive order from the Governor designating larger numbers or marine reserves, which would be off-limits to fishing to help dwindling fish stocks recover and protect sensitive near-shore ocean habitats.

Despite a number of major threats this session, when the dust had settled, the 2012 Oregon Legislature was clearly a success for Oregon’s environment.

Legislative Update – Wolves, Cougars and Forests edition – February 2012

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

The Oregon Legislature is meeting for just one month this year, and is expected to be wrapped up with its work by early March. With significant budget challenges and very little time, it is disappointing to see that a number of legislators have chosen to focus their attention on controversial proposals that weaken protections for Oregon’s environment.

The legislature has taken up bills to reduce protections for endangered wolves and elusive mountain lions, mandate high logging levels on state forests, and calling for increased clearcutting on federal lands.

Here’s a sampling of some of the worst bills the Oregon Legislature is spending its short February session debating. As of March 1, the Sierra Club had succeeded in blocking three of the four following bills, with only the non-binding SJM 201 passing.

HB 4158 – Killing Endangered Wolves to Protect Livestock

HB 4158 was introduced at the request of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and is specifically intended to overturn an environmental lawsuit over the state’s current approach of killing wolves believed to be involved in attacks on livestock. In the fall of 2011, a judge blocked a state kill order targeting two wolves in NE Oregon’s Imnaha pack, including the pack’s ‘alpha’ male, which would result in functional elimination of the first wolf pack to begin breeding in Oregon in more than six decades. One of the Imnaha pack’s offspring (OR-7, also known as ‘Journey’) has captured international attention in its 1000 mile dispersal into western Oregon and northern California. While Oregon’s Wolf Management Plan allows the state to kill wolves involved in ‘chronic’ livestock depredation, many have argued that the state and ranchers are not taking significant enough non-lethal measures to prevent wolf/livestock conflicts before resorting to lethal control of Oregon’s endangered wolf population. There are currently fewer than 30 wolves in Oregon. 

HB 4098 – Maximizing State Forest Clearcutting

HB 4098 would drastically change management on more than 500,000 acres of the Tillamook, Clatsop and Santiam State Forests to make timber production the dominant use. This would have significant negative impacts to water quality, recreation, and salmon recovery and mark a significant rollback of current state forest management plans which require a more balanced approach between logging and other uses of state lands. The bill specifically mandates that annual logging levels on state forest lands be ’95 percent of the annual amount of harvestable timber expected to be grown on state forest lands.’ It would run directly counter to an initiative announced by Governor Kitzhaber in November 2011 to create long-term protected areas on state lands designed to prevent logging on high conservation value lands in state forests. This bill, in contrast, would essentially maximize logging and roadbuilding on publicly owned state forest lands at the expense of fish, wildlife, recreation, clean water and carbon sequestration beginning in January, 2013.

HB 4119 – Hound Hunting of Cougars

HB 4119 creates a ‘pilot program’ to allow hunters using one or more dogs to pursue cougars in order ‘to reduce cougar conflicts and to assess cougar populations.’ This unsportsmanlike practice has been banned in Oregon since 1994, and nearly every legislative session since proponents of hound hunting have tried to weaken the ban. This bill allows counties to request inclusion in the pilot project, which could effectively bring back hound hunting across much of the state. This bill, and the others before it, are based on the false assumption that Oregon has a cougar over-population problem and that bringing back hound hunting is the only tool to protect the public. However, there are currently more cougars killed each year now by hunters than there were before the hound hunting ban was instituted in 1994, and the state has numerous tools at its disposal to target the occasional problem cougar that wanders to close to human communities, including the use of dogs by state agents. This bill is an effort to make hound hunting a recreational practice aimed at reducing overall cougar numbers, rather than a judiciously used management tool at the disposal of state agents to address specific problem animals.

SJM 201 – Local Control Over BLM Forests to Increase Logging

Senate Joint Memorial 201 calls on the US Congress and President to hand over roughly 2.2 million acres of western Oregon Bureau of Land Management forestland to western Oregon counties so that they can exercise management authority. While little more than a letter to the President and Congress, SJM 201 contains a number of far-fetched claims, including that strategies to protect forests on BLM lands have led to increased greenhouse gas emissions from these forests (the opposite is true) and that that local control of these lands by counties and private interests will lead to balanced management of these lands to benefit the public interest. Local control would in fact likely be an environmental disaster, with a return to large-scale clearcutting that has put many runs of coastal salmon on the list of threatened and endangered species. Western Oregon BLM lands contain roughly 1 million acres of old growth forest unlikely to be protected should these lands fall into control of Oregon counties and timber companies, whose goal would be to manage them for revenue production.

SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES BONAMICI

Conservation Group Praises Work to Protect Oregon’s Environment

[Portland]: The Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club today announced its endorsement of Suzanne Bonamici (D) in the January 31, 2012 special election in Oregon’s First Congressional District.

“We are very pleased to announce today that the Sierra Club officially endorses Suzanne Bonamici for Congress,” said Christine Lewis, the Oregon Chapter Political Chair. “She has a strong track record on environmental issues, and we are confident that she will continue work to protect Oregon’s environment and natural resources in Congress, for our families and for our future.”

Suzanne Bonamici’s record as a State Representative and State Senator is one of distinction amongst environmental champions. A stalwart supporter of renewable energy, alternative transportation, healthy communities, and sustainable planning, she made her mark as chief sponsor of 2009’s SB 637, working with a broad group of stakeholders for over a year to pass legislation requiring school districts to adopt Integrated Pest Management, protecting school children from toxic pesticide exposure and improving air and water quality on school grounds.

“We are deeply grateful to Suzanne for her work protecting children in Oregon schools from dangerous toxins”, said Borden Beck, chair of the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club and a middle school teacher.”She is a true environmental champion who will fight to protect Oregon’s clean air, clean water and special places.”

The Sierra Club also noted Bonamici’s record on opposing a provision in legislation in 2011 to expedite permitting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipelines. Two separate LNG terminals and hundreds of miles of pipeline have been proposed for the first Congressional District in recent years, posing a major threat to small farms, orchards, forests, and dozens of rivers and streams along the way. New plans to export LNG could ultimately harm Oregon families and businesses by raising energy costs. “Suzanne has taken bold stands in support of small farmers, small woodlot owners, and Oregon’s rivers and streams, working hard to stop efforts to expedite harmful LNG export pipelines,” said Lewis.

The Sierra Club also noted that Rob Cornilles failed to respond to the request from the Sierra Club to answer questions about his stances on several key environmental issues important to First Congressional District voters. The Sierra Club engaged in an endorsement process during the special primary and multiple candidates participated. “The conclusion we drew is that Rob Cornilles simply does not see the importance of protecting Oregon’s environment, and has no plan to create green jobs, grow sustainable economic development, or stand up to his own party’s constant attacks on clean air and clean water,” said Lewis.

Along with the endorsement, the Sierra Club will lend volunteer strength to the Bonamici campaign, drawing on thousands of members who reside in the district.

“We pledge to do all we can to help ensure Suzanne Bonamici is elected to Congress,” added Beck. ” Sierra Club volunteers will contact voters on her behalf, knock on doors, and speak to the public about her exemplary environmental record. We look forward to a victory party for the environment on election night and to many more years of Suzanne fighting for the environment as a member of Congress.”

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State Legislative Update – End of Session Edition

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

The 2011 Oregon Legislature is entering its final days. Scheduled to wrap up work by June 30, some are predicting the session will end as early as the week of June 20. Many major budget bills are done and on the way to the Governor’s desk. The Sierra Club will be scoring the votes of legislators and the legislature as a whole once the session is over, but based on work completed so far, this is shaping up to be a fairly lackluster session for the environment.

While there have been some positive accomplishments, most notably a significant overhaul of Oregon’s bottle bill, and strong prospects for passage of school weatherization legislation early next week (see below), the Sierra Club and other conservation groups have had to focus on defense, stopping bad bills that would: ramp up unsustainable logging on state forests; make it easier to shoot wolves; overturn voter approved bans on hunting cougars with dogs; stop the DEQ from adopting new water quality protection rules; exempt biomass energy from greenhouse gas reporting programs; and expedite state permitting for proposed LNG pipelines.

Meanwhile, many positive bills have stalled, including a ban on single use plastic bags; an expansion of Oregon’s marine reserve system; a ban on the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s food containers; the creation of a system of protected conservation areas on state lands; and an effort create jobs through energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings.

Despite this, a key priority of the Sierra Club and Governor John Kitzhaber is on the right path in the legislature’s last days. HB 2960, the ‘cool schools’ bill, will set up a fund to allow schools across the state to weatherize and upgrade their heating and cooling systems. This will create jobs, save school districts money on utility bills over the long term so that more money can be invested in education, and make schools more comfortable and better learning environments for kids. This bill passed the House early last week, and is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Monday, June 20. Please email your Senators in support of HB 2960 TODAY!

Thank you for your support this legislative session. Check out our legislative tracker for more specific status updates on a range of environmental bills we’ve worked on this session.

State Legislative Update – May/June 2011

With only about one month left in the 2011 Oregon Legislative session, things are really heating up. Here’s the latest on a few of the issues we’re most focused on in Salem:

LNG pipelines – HB 2700 B – on Monday, May 23 at 3pm, the Senate Business, Transportation and Economic Development Committee will be holding a vote on HB 2700B and deciding whether to amend it or not. If the bill passes out of committee, it could be up for a vote on the Senate floor by the end of the week. This bill would expedite the application process for numerous ‘linear utilities,’ most notably controversial LNG pipelines. Please click here to send an email to your State Senator urging them to amend HB 2700B to exclude LNG pipelines, or vote against the bill.

Banning Single Use Plastic Bags – SB 536 - SB 536 is currently awaiting action in the Rules  Committee – it is reported to be only one vote short of passing in the Senate. Click here to send an email to your Senator today and urge them to vote ‘YES’ on SB 536. The ‘ban the bag’ bill is facing stiff opposition from out-of-state chemical companies that make plastic bags. Oregonians currently use over 1.7 billion disposable single-use plastic bags each year. These bags often end up in landfills or our roadsides, rivers and streams. Even so-called ‘recyclable’ plastic bags are often shipped overseas where they may end up clogging landfills, entering the Pacific Ocean, or being incinerated.

Energy Efficiency in Schools – HB 2960 – Sets up a new Clean Energy Deployment program to provide grants and loans for weatherization upgrades in K-12 schools across Oregon. Such a program would increase jobs in the weatherization industry while reducing energy consumption and saving school districts money on energy bills. A top priority of Governor Kitzhaber’s, this bill awaits action in the Ways and Means Committee, and is scheduled for a hearing and possible action on May 24. Please contact your State Legislators today to urge the passage of HB 2960 to help create jobs in energy efficiency in schools.

Banning Bisphenol A (BPA) from children’s drinking containers – SB 695 – SB 695 passed the Senate in early April (20-9) and received a public hearing in the House Energy, Environment and Water Committee on May 10. It is now stalled and needs your support to secure a vote in the Oregon House. Send an email to your legislators today urging them to vote ‘YES’ on SB 695. BPA is a synthetic estrogen that is used to make plastic bottles and food can linings. BPA in containers can leach into foods and liquids, and growing children are especially vulnerable to its harmful effects. This bipartisan legislation would ban BPA from baby bottles, infant formula containers, and water bottles, while requiring labeling of canned foods that are lined with BPA.  Even small amounts of BPA can be harmful and numerous scientific studies have linked the chemical – banned in Canada, the European Union and nine states – to health issues such as abnormal brain development, early onset of puberty, and low sperm counts in men.

State Forests – HB 2001 and more – HB 2001 would make timber production the primary purpose of publicly owned state lands like the Tillamook, Clatsop, Elliott, and Santiam State Forests. It is currently stalled in the Ways and Means Committee and though it would mark an extreme shift away from from a balanced management on state lands, it has been identified as a top ‘jobs’ bills for a coalition of industry groups. This means it could be alive until the final days of the legislative session, with our state forests once again becoming a political football. To underscore this, a similar bill to ramp up logging in the Tillamook State Forest that was presumed dead months ago, SB 464, was pulled to the Senate Floor for a vote on May 18 for some posturing by Senate Republicans on logging. Thankfully, their effort failed. Nonetheless, HB 2001 is still a major threat, please contact your State Legislator today and urge them to oppose HB 2001.

Wolves and Cougars- In late April, the House passed HB 3562 by a 51-7 vote to clarify that wolves can be shot in self-defense. Largely symbolic, this bill plays on the myth that wolves pose a threat to humans, but as written could be exploited by poachers looking for an excuse to kill one of Oregon’s fewer than 25 gray wolves. The good news is that two other bills to allow for the shooting of wolves within 500 feet of a residence, and another to reduce goals for wolf management both died without a vote in the House. HB 3562, however, is currently stalled in the Senate but could receive a hearing and possible vote before June 1. Also passing the House in late April by a 45-14 vote was HB 2337, which rolls back the voter-approved ban on hunting cougars with dogs. This too is stalled in the Senate but could receive committee hearing and possible vote before June 1. Contact your State Senators today and urge them to oppose HB 3562 and HB 2337 and protect Oregon’s wolves and cougars.

For other legislative updates, please visit our legislative tracker blog.

State Legislative Update: Wolves, Forests, Weatherization and more

Ivan Maluski from the Sierra Club addresses a crowd of citizen lobbyists at the annual Oregon Conservation Network environmental lobby day in Salem on April 7, 2011.

The 2011 Oregon Legislative session has reached the halfway mark. As committees race to meet April deadlines for action on hundreds of bills, the level of intensity on environmental legislation has increased dramatically.

Unfortunately, there are far more environmental threats moving forward than good pro-environment legislation. By the end of the week of April 18, the Oregon House will have potentially passed legislation to make it easier to shoot Oregon’s wolves, make timber production the primary purpose of our state lands, and rollback of voter-approved protections for cougars. Other bills getting hearings include an effort to restrict the Department of Environmental Quality from implementing new water quality standards meant to protect public health, and legislation that would declare biomass energy to be ‘carbon neutral’ while exempting biomass energy producers from greenhouse gas reporting rules.

Meanwhile, legislation to ban single-use plastic bags appears to be stalled, as is a bill that would stimulate green job creation by requiring energy performance scores for all buildings. Legislation that would speed state wetland crossing permits for LNG pipelines passed the House earlier this session, and will likely be taken up in the Senate in May.

As the cold and rainy weather continues to linger in Oregon this spring, only a few bright spots are emerging at the Oregon legislature – a key initiative of Governor Kitzhaber’s to create jobs by weatherizing Oregon schools appears to be moving forward, as is a ban on the chemical BPA in certain children’s food containers.

There is no time like the present to make your voice heard for Oregon’s wolves, forests, clean water and the climate! Click on the links above to learn more information about the legislation mentioned and find out how you can take action TODAY!

Clatsop County says NO to LNG

The site of the proposed Oregon LNG terminal whose land use approval was revoked this week.

Another victory in the struggle to prevent LNG development in Oregon! On March 9, the Clatsop County Commission voted 4-1 to revoke Oregon LNG’s land use approval.

Oregon LNG and its New York-based financial backers have already filed a lawsuit to overturn the Commission’s decision, revealing once again that companies seeking to develop LNG in Oregon have little respect for local communities.

In related news, the federal Ninth Circuit Court on March 2 threw out Bradwood Landing LNG’s license, finally killing the contested LNG import terminal 20 miles up the Columbia River from Astoria. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had granted Bradwood Landing LNG a license to build the terminal and associated pipelines in 2008. However, the lack of clear demand for the gas combined with years of effective citizen opposition to the development finally caught up with the Texas-based financial backers of the project, who declared bankruptcy last year.

Despite these recent victories, the Oregon Legislature continues to move forward with HB 2700, a bill that would speed state permitting for LNG pipelines. This bill passed the Oregon House on March 2 despite significant bipartisan opposition. It now awaits action in the Senate. Learn more and contact your State Senator here!