This page is for all legislation related to
Climate, Energy, and the Environment (CEE)

Page last updated: 1:00 am Saturday 3/8

SJR 28 - The Right to a Healthy Environment    COIN ENDORSES this bill.

Senate Joint Resolution 28 is the product of the Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment (OCERA), a grassroots effort to amend the Oregon constitution to affirm that all Oregonians have a fundamental, enforceable right to  a healthy environment.  COIN is a founding member of OCERA, and members of COIN’s Climate, Energy and Environment Team have been active members from the beginning, so we will most likely be endorsing this bill as we go through our endorsement process. Over 30 grassroots organizations and hundreds of individuals are also active coalition members. The chief sponsors of SJR 28 are Senators Golden, Manning, and Prozanski, and Representatives Gamba, Anderson, and Tran. In addition, 7 Senators and 8 Representatives have joined as co-sponsors.  Here's a more thorough explanation of the resolution and why we need it. You can also learn more bout this effort on OCERA's website. 

SJR 28 has been assigned to the Rules Committee.

SB 682 - Oregon Climate Superfund Act or Make Polluters Pay Act -   COIN ENDORSES this bill.

The Oregon Climate Superfund Act, also known as the Make Polluters Pay Act has been introduced by Senator Jeff Golden. It will hold fossil fuel companies responsible for some of the immense costs of pollution from greenhouse gas emissions they are responsible for. These companies will be required to use a portion of the profits they have received to pay for the repair and mitigation of some of the damages caused by the emissions and to support appropriate climate resilience efforts. State agencies will create resilience plans addressing specific impacts on  Oregon’s natural and human-built infrastructure. Payments into the fund will be assessed in proportion to a company’s share of greenhouse gas emissions over a historical period. 


The bill is modeled after legislation already adopted in Vermont and New York. Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and California are in the process of developing similar legislation, and more states are expected to follow suit.


COIN has agreed to join the Make Polluters Pay Coalition that is responsible for educating and advocating for the passage of this bill. We are joining Mobilizing Climate Action Together (MCAT), Divest Oregon, and Third Act. Other organizations, including the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, are considering joining this brand-new coalition.

SB 682 is currently in the Committee on Energy and Environment. 

HB 3119 - Delays the Advanced Clean Trucks Act COIN OPPOSES this bill.  

Prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from implementing or enforcing the Advanced Clean Trucks regulations before January 1, 2027. This bill is assigned to the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. This bill to delay the ACT is setting the stage to kill the ACT program. The effort is part of a multistate coordinated effort to roll back clean air protections in a moment we cannot rely on a federal backstop. 

OLCV Article Take a stand for clean air!

"There’s no way around this fact: diesel pollution has devastating impacts, and Oregon communities are already suffering. Diesel pollution specifically contains 40 cancer-causing compounds, contributes to 176 premature deaths annually, and costs our state $2 billion in health impacts each year. One of the fastest ways to cut this deadly pollution is by implementing our state’s long-established clean truck rules, yet oil and gas companies have launched their attack on these policies."

Here is the COIN Worksheet  for HB 3119.

KATU Article provides additional commentary

A public hearing for HB3119 was held 1/30. Watch the hearing here.

SB 80 - Prohibition on large new or expanding factory farms in Oregon Groundwater Management Area.  COIN ENDORSES this bill.

Large factory farms or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are linked to dangerous levels of nitrate in groundwater and surface waters in areas where they are located; large factory farms are also linked to devastating public health impacts such as cancers, blue baby, and respiratory illnesses. They undermine local economies, in particular small sustainable family farms and subject millions of animals to abject cruelty.  

Oregon's 11 mega dairies alone produced 4 billion pounds of waste in 2022,  ⅔ of what Oregon’s human population produced. The manure lagoons where waste is stored seeps into the groundwater and is basically dumped or applied on nearby fields as “fertilizer”, causing runoff into surface water like streams, rivers, lakes. This means nitrates and phosphorus in the groundwater and surface water; it fuels algae blooms which kill fish and cause dead zones. ON top of that, factory farms’ air emissions are not regulated, meaning methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrous oxide, and harmful particulate matter, GHG, are emitted into the air unchecked.

Voluntary measures to control factory farm growth in groundwater management areas have not worked. Now there is a growing public health, economic, and environmental crisis in communities in GWMAs. It is an environmental justice issue.  COIN is a supporting member of Stand Up to Factory Farms SUFF; find more info here. 

SB 80 is currently in the Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. Urge the Committee to pass SB 80. Also, find and write your own legislators in support of SB 80 or better yet, make an appointment to meet with them to discuss their vote on SB 80. 

COIN members attended the Lobby Day Thursday 2/27 in Salem!  About 30 volunteers in all joined the event and talked with nearly all legislators or their staff about SB 80. 

ACTION ALERT! We have a tentative date and time for the first public hearing for SB 80 - Thursday March 13 at 1:00 PM. It's not officially listed on OLIS yet and it could change, but mark your calendars if you would like to attend in person or virtually. We'll update the info here when it's official. 

Nuclear Energy bills - COIN OPPOSES all of these bills. 

Several bills have been introduced that will repeal or establish exemptions for the use of nuclear power, particularly small module nuclear reactors to power new data centers, AI development, and cryptocurrency.  

SB 215/HB 2426 Repeals the 1980 Ballot Measure Law that required a federally licensed permanent disposal facility for nuclear waste and voter approval of any nuclear power plant certification. This bill would then refer the repeal to voters to approve or reject in the next general election on November 3, 2026. SB 215 is in the Committee on Energy and Environment.  The House version, HB 2426 is in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment.

SB 215 had a Mar. 5 public hearing. You can watch the recording here.

ACTION ALERT! There is a 2nd public hearing on Monday Mar 10 at 3:00PM. Click here to register to testify or submit written testimony. Watch the hearing here.


HB 3565 Allows the siting and operation of a small modular reactor energy facility without requiring that there be a licensed repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste or that the proposed site certificate for the small modular reactor energy facility be submitted to the electors of this state for their approval or rejection. In other words, this essentially overrides the 1980 Ballot Measure Law as well. Currently in the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment. 


SB 216 Repeals the 1980 Ballot Measure Law outright without referral to voters. SB 216 is in the Committee on Energy and Environment. 

SB 216 had a Mar. 5 public hearing. You can watch the recording here.

ACTION ALERT! There is a 2nd public hearing on Monday Mar 10 at 3:00PM. Click here to register to testify or submit written testimony. Watch the hearing here.



SB 635 Directs Oregon State University, original developer of NuScale's Small Modular Nuclear Reactor (SMNR) design,  to conduct a feasibility study on nuclear energy generation in Oregon. The bill does not identify who actually pays for the study and requires OSU to submit its report to the Legislature. Note that this is NOT an impartial study as OSU has an inherent conflict of interest as the original developer and proponent of the NuScale's Small Modular Nuclear Reactor (SMNR) design. OSU owns an interest in NuScale. In the Committee on Energy and Environment. 

SB 635 had a Mar. 5 public hearing. You can watch the recording here.

ACTION ALERT! There is a 2nd public hearing on Monday Mar 10 at 3:00PM. Click here to register to testify or submit written testimony. Watch the hearing here.



HB 2038 Directs the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE)  to  study the "advantages" of nuclear  energy - but not the disadvantages - and  to give  a  report  on  its  findings to the Legislature. This bill is assigned to the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment.


A public hearing for HB 2038 was held Thursday 2/27. Watch the session here. 


HB 2410 Allows the Energy Facility Siting Council to issue a site certificate for a small modular reactor energy facility demonstration project in Umatilla County with the approval of Umatilla County voters but not all Oregon voters as required by the 1980 Ballot Measure Law. It is simply a clever exemption to the 1980 Ballot Measure Law. Also, a site certificate for such a project could be for an unknown number of small modular nuclear reactors that could operate independent from the grid. Private parties interested in the development of data centers, AI development, and cryptocurrency would likely provide substantial investment in SMNRs. Assigned to the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment.


A public hearing for HB 2038 was held Thursday 2/27. Watch the session here. 


Several more GOP pro-nuclear energy bills were introduced this past week, all variations on the same theme as those described above, all seeking to overturn at least part of the 1980 Ballot Measure 7 passed by voters to ban nuclear power in Oregon unless there is a federally licensed repository for the radioactive waste and unless the voters approve it through another ballot measure. COIN OPPOSES all of these, too. So far, none have hearings scheduled, but we'll be watching them closely. 


Additional Resources:

HB 2200 / SB 681 - The PAUSE Act is a continuing effort to reduce state investments in fossil fuels.
COIN ENDORSES both bills.

The PAUSE Act, a bill, introduced by Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner, directs the Oregon Investment Council (OIC) and the State Treasurer to reduce the carbon intensity of state investments and address investment risks related to climate change. The Act would place a 5 year moratorium on the State Treasurer from making any new or renewed private market fund or PERS investments in fossil fuels, subject to fiduciary duties. 

HB2200 is currently in the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans.  SB681 is in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue.

COIN has joined the many groups in coalition with Divest Oregon in support of the PAUSE Act.

A public hearing for HB 2200 was held on 1/28. Watch the recording here. 

HB 2980 - Protecting urban wildlife and supporting wildlife rehabilitation centers

COIN ENDORSES this bill.

This bill establishes a Wildlife Stewardship Program that would include an educational campaign to message living with wildlife in urban and suburban areas, minimizing human-wildlife conflict and emphasizing wildlife should stay wild. The program would include biologists involved in outreach and training to local governments, community groups, schools, law enforcement, animal control and such. The program would also support wildlife rehabilitators and administer a grant program for them. COIN Worksheet for HB 2980.

A public hearing for HB2980 was held 2/4. Watch the session here.

MOVEMENT ALERT: During a work session on 2/18, the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment voted unanimously to pass the bill. HB 2980 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Natural Resources. Watch the 2/18 session here.

SB 678 - Undoes wildfire protections adopted in 2021 in SB 762.  COIN OPPOSES this bill.

This disastrous bill would repeal the entirety of the 2021 Senate Bill 762, the package of wildfire actions and funding priorities passed in response to the devastating wildfires of 2020 that killed nine people and became the most expensive natural disaster in state history. SB 678 would undo all the wildfire protection provisions of that 2021 package, including requiring electric utilities to create wildfire protection plans, requiring state agencies to develop new defensible space and building code requirements to protect homes and communities, and creating programs to mitigate the impact of wildfire smoke on public health. 

While we believe this bill is very unlikely to go anywhere this session, it would be so destructive that we want to be on the record opposing it. It's in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. You can write to committee members to let them know what a terrible bill it is, and hopefully they will not even give it a hearing.  

SB 497 - Prohibits Energy Efficient Construction Codes      COIN OPPOSES this bill.

Prohibits a municipality from adopting energy efficient construction standards or methods from the Reach or similar Code of standards and methods that are higher or more stringent than statewide standards and methods in effect under the Dept. of Consumer and Business Services. The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on Labor and Business. 

SB 404 - State Forest Conveyance and Valuation Changes  COIN OPPOSES this bill.

Directs the State Board of Forestry to convey certain state forest lands to a county that requests conveyance upon determining it (the county) would secure the greatest permanent value of the lands to the county (which likely means logging). This bill is in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. 

HB 3179 - The FAIR Energy Act      COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

Directs the Public Utility Commission to consider the cumulative economic impact of a proposed rate or schedule of rates on a public utility's ratepayers if the proposed rate or schedule of rates will result in an increase of the public utility's revenue in this state by 2.5 percent or more. The FAIR Energy Act will better protect Oregon households from rising energy bills. 

Currently in the House Committee On Commerce and Consumer Protection

The first hearing was held on 2/20. Watch that session here. 

A second public hearing for HB 3179 was held on 2/25.  Watch the recording here.  

HB 2961 - Increases current requirements for EV charging capability for new buildings. 
COIN ENDORSES this bill.

The current law (since 2021) requires that 30% of parking spaces in certain newly constructed buildings (specifically, commercial buildings, multi-family buildings with 5 or more units and mixed-use buildings consisting of commercial space and 5 or more dwelling units) be EV-ready with conduit and panel, and adequate electric service to power 20% of spaces. 


This bill increases the requirement to either a) 50% of parking spaces with EV-ready service OR  b) maintaining the current 20% AND including a charger in 5% of those spaces (but no less than 1 space). (Currently, no chargers are required for the EV-ready spaces). Put simply, either more EV-ready spaces are required during construction, or chargers are required at 5% of the currently required spaces. 


The point is to encourage the transition to EV use for people who live in apartments and mixed-use buildings, who don’t have other means of providing their own charging stations. 


Here is the  COIN Worksheet.


HB 2961 is in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. Two public hearings have been held on this bill. Watch the 1/30 hearing at 29:27 minutes. Read testimony submitted. Watch the 2/4 hearing here. 

Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub bills - These four bills will all make the CEI Hub safer and more sustainable.   COIN ENDORSES all of these bills.

HB 3450 CEI Hub Transition Plan - directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to work with all stakeholders to develop an energy storage transition plan for the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub (CEI Hub). The CEI Hub includes generally all bulk oils or liquid fuel terminals located on the west bank of the Willamette River in Portland. An energy storage transition plan must contain short, medium, and long-term goals for the CEI Hub that ensures the energy resilience of Oregon's energy sector and allow the state to guide its energy future.  

HB 2949 Risk Bond Study - requires a risk bond to make sure the facility has funds for clean up in the event of a disaster. 


ACTION ALERT!  A second public hearing for HB 2949 was held March 6. You can watch the hearing here.


HB 2152 Disaster Fuel Reserves - calls on ODOE to develop and implement a plan to increase geographic distribution of disaster response fuels by region; prioritize list of locations for expanded or new fuel storage, consider negative community and environmental impacts, and consider potential for declining reliance on fossil fuels.  

A public hearing was held on 2/27. Watch that session here. 


HB 2151 Risk Mitigation Fund - would allow additional ways that moneys in the previously approved Seismic Risk Mitigation Fund can be spent.  

ACTION ALERT! A second public hearing was held March 6 at 1:00 PM for HB 2151. You can watch the hearing here.

Additional Resources: 

The bills are currently in the House Committee on  Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans.

A public hearing was held for all of these bills on 2/27 except HB 2949. There was a great show of support for these bills and the speakers were very convincing! Watch the hearing here.

Hunting Cougars with Dogs - These Republican-led bills would undo decades of protection for wildlife by allowing cougars to be hunted with dogs.  COIN OPPOSES these two bills.

SB 769 would exempt a county from the existing ban under ORS Section 498.164 on hunting cougars with dogs, a cruel practice, if voters in the county approve the practice. There is already an exception under this law for cougars that cause damage.  

SB 412 would direct the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to make special cougar tags available that would allow the use of dogs to hunt or pursue cougars.  

Both bills are currently in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire 

A public hearing for SB 769 was held on 2/11. Watch the recording of the hearing here. Read testimony submitted to the Committee here. 

SB 777 - Increases Compensation Amount under Oregon's Wolf Predation Loss Compensation Program. COIN OPPOSES this bill.  

This is another Republican-led bill to undermine Oregon's Wolf Predation Loss Compensation Program (WPLCP) by increasing by 7 times the current fair market value standard for compensation for loss of domestic animals.  The WPLCP has received broad support over the years for its efforts to reduce conflicts with wolves. Farmers and ranchers are currently compensated at fair market value for any cows, sheep, and the like, or guardian dog losses due to wolf predation. However, SB 777 sets a new standard at 7 times the current amount of compensation. The need for the state to pay 7 times the fair market value for lost animals is unclear. This bill seems to do nothing to advance wildlife coexistence measures in Oregon. 

Currently in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. 

A public hearing was held Thursday 2/27. You can watch the hearing here. Read COIN's testimony in opposition here.

ACTION ALERT! A second public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday March 11 at 1:00 PM with the possibility of a work session immediately following. You can watch the hearing here. Click here to register to testify or to submit written testimony. 

HB 2977 - 1% for Wildlife     COIN ENDORSES this bill.


The “1% for wildlife” bill, creates more funding for habitat conservation to address the animal extinction crisis. It would raise the state’s transient lodging tax from 1.5% to 2.5% to create a stable source of funding habitat conservation and prevent extinction of many imperiled species. Oregon Wild has pointed out, “In Oregon, 294 species face a high risk of extinction, and 11 key habitats are in danger. Restoring beaver habitats (as an example) can help, but can only do so much. Funding is needed to hire biologists and other scientists, monitor species on the ground, restore habitats” and more. 


Currently in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water 

A public hearing for HB 2977 was held on 2/24. Watch the session here.  

SB 551-3 - "Beyond the Bag" bill       COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This bill would further reduce the use of plastic bags and other disposable plastic items provided by grocers, restaurants and other food retailers, and hotels and other lodging businesses. It expands on the restrictions of Oregon’s 2019 law limiting use of single use plastic bags. SB551 would also bar food service places from offering plastic cutlery or condiments in plastic packaging generally unless they are requested.  SB551 would prohibit hotels and other lodging places from automatically providing toiletries like shampoo or lotion in disposable plastic containers. That regulation would kick in for establishments with 50 or more rooms beginning in 2027. It would apply to all forms of lodging — including short-term rentals — beginning in 2028. 

Watch the public hearing held on 2/12. There was a great deal of testimony in support of SB 551. The bill remains in the Senate Committee on Energy and the Environment. 

Watch the 2/26 work session here where the current -3 amendment to clarify SB 551 was proposed.  

MOVEMENT ALERT!  Another work session was held March 3 and is available for viewing here. Committee members voted 4-1 to pass this bill out of committee with a DO PASS recommendation. Next, it should go to the Senate Floor for a vote. You can contact your senator and ask for a YES vote for this bill when it comes to the floor. Look up your senator's contact information here. 

SB 222 - Endangered or Threatened Predator Removal      COIN OPPOSES this bill.

SB 222 has a misleading digest: "The Act tells an agency to create a program to protect salmon. "

In fact, it is a program to kill "species that prey on salmon," including species on the Endangered or Threatened Species Lists.  It prohibits the state from altering salmon release sites or the operation of salmon enhancement projects in order to protect the predator species.  It directs the state to apply to federal agencies for waivers or permits necessary to attack the Endangered or Threatened species.

Currently in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee

A public hearing for SB 222 was held 2/19. Watch the session here.  Read the testimony here. 

SB 992 - Bottle Bill Study    COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending endorsement.

This bill requires the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to study the modernization of Oregon’s beverage container redemption and recycling law known as the Bottle Bill and submit recommendations by September, 2026.  

Change to that system is greatly needed.  Millions of dollars are piling up in the redemption fund, because the Oregon Legislature in recent years increased the bottle deposit to 10 cents and greatly expanded the "beverages" to which it applies.  We are now paying grocery stores a lot more for deposits.  At the same time, the cooperative of beverage companies that run the system are making it harder and harder to redeem the bottles.  So the money is piling up.  It may end up with the beverage companies, thus effectively placing a 10 cents/bottle surcharge on nearly all beverages sold in Oregon, with the surcharge ultimately being paid to the beverage companies. 

Any amendments filed for this bill may affect COIN endorsement.

Currently in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee

A public hearing for SB 992 was held Monday 2/17. Watch the session here. 

HB 2656 - Prohibits Limits on Solar Net Metering     COIN ENDORSES this bill.

Prohibits the Public Utility Commission, municipal electric utilities, electric cooperatives and people's utility districts from setting a maximum amount of cumulative generating capacity for solar net metering systems that is allowed to be interconnected.  This is primarily aimed at prohibiting utilities from limiting use of rooftop solar cells.

COIN Worksheet

Currently in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. 

A public hearing for HB 2656 was held Tuesday 2/18. Watch the session here. Read the testimony here. 

HB 2062 - Battery Producer Responsibility Program     COIN ENDORSES this bill.

This bill prohibits producers of batteries or battery-containing products from selling, offering for sale, or distributing batteries or battery-containing products in Oregon unless they participate in a battery producer responsibility organization (PRO) that successfully implements a battery producer responsibility program.

At least three states and the US Capital—California, Vermont, Washington State, and Washington, DC—have battery EPR programs in place to collect certain types of batteries, ranging in size, type (rechargeable or not), and chemical makeup (for example, alkaline, carbon-zinc, lithium metal, or lithium-ion). Once the batteries are collected by producers, they are sent to recycling facilities; currently, there are only four recyclers in the U.S. that can recycle batteries.

Currently in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. 

A public hearing for HB 2062 was held Tuesday 2/18. Watch the session here. Read the testimony here. 

HB 2738 - Prohibits Leaded Fuel at Race Tracks             COIN ENDORSES this bill.

This bill prohibits the use of leaded fuel at race tracks in cities with a population of 500,000 or greater as of January 1, 2026.  That means Portland Int'l Raceway.  Many residents of the Kenton neighborhood have testified in favor of this.  Note that NASCAR banned leaded fuel in 2007. If the iconic racetrack, Daytona Beach can operate with unleaded fuel, so can Portland.

Currently in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. 

A public hearing for HB 2738 was held Tuesday 2/18. Watch the session here. Read the testimony here. 

SB 47 - Eliminates "Obsolete" Public Entities COIN OPPOSES this bill.

SB 47 supposedly eliminates obsolete public entities.  Among those it eliminates is Oregon Community Power, which is a statewide publicly-owned utility legal structure that the Oregon Legislature created in 2003 to buy PGE from Enron.  That sale did not happen. The SMS states:  "OCP is a publicly owned utility with a mission to provide reliable, low-cost electricity to consumers. It is regulated by the Public Utility Commission and is governed by a board of seven directors, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate."

This existing hard-won structure should not be destroyed as it offers future opportunities for a statewide publicly-owned utility to acquire assets and begin operating.  

Currently in the Senate Committee On Rules. 

A public hearing for SB 47 was held 2/17. Watch the session here.   SB 47 was removed from the work session scheduled for 2/19. 

HB 2679 - Protects Pollinators and Wildlife   COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This bill would protect bees and other wildlife pollinators by putting limits on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on residential landscapes.  

This bill is currently in the  House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment.

A public hearing was held for HB 2679 on 3/4. You can watch the hearing here.

HB 3546 - The Power Act      COIN ENDORSES this bill with recommendations.

The Power Act aims to hold large energy users, such as data centers, cryptocurrency, and other big tech companies, responsible for paying for their own energy needs. New data centers and other massive energy users are placing a strain on the region’s power system, driving up the costs for everyone, and create additional pressures for the expansion of environmentally damaging fossil fuel and nuclear power plants, as well as new hazardous “natural gas” pipelines. It will require the Oregon Public Utility Commission to create new policies for Oregon’s investor-owned utilities (IOU’s) that require them to identify the costs that these massive energy users are adding to the system – and make them pay their fair share.  It will also require these large users (consuming 20 MW or more) to sign contracts for at least 10 years to enhance the likelihood a that the expensive infrastructure upgrades are worthwhile. 

While we appreciate the intentions of this bill, it's our understanding that there is nothing in this bill that PUC cannot do already, but PUC hasn’t taken this step, the legislature is stepping in. A potentially big disadvantage of this bill is it doesn’t guarantee the data centers would pay higher transmission or distribution rates.  The COIN Legislative Team intends to contact bill sponsors to clarify this before we decide whether or not to endorse HB 3546. 

HB 3546 is currently in the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment. 

HB 3546 was given a public hearing Thursday Mar. 6. You can watch the hearing here.

HB 2557 - Bans Octopus Farming in Oregon    COIN ENDORSES this bill.

This bill will make it illegal to raise octopus as food for humans or take part in the sale of octopus that was raised as food for humans. Washington and California already have such bans so this would make the ban continuous along the continental US west coast. Unfortunately, octopus farming is an emerging global practice, one that raises significant ethical issues due to the intelligence of octopuses, as well as significant environmental issues which would threaten Oregon's unique coastal aquatic ecosystems. 

HB 2557 is currently in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. 

A public hearing was held on Feb 3 where the bill received overwhelming support. You can view the session here and read the testimony here. You can also write to committee members and urge them to keep this bill moving forward with a work session, a vote, and then on the the Senate.  

HB 3143 - Landowners Living With Beavers Grant Program    COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This bill is essentially the same bill we endorsed in 2024 that didn't make it through the session. Beavers are an important keystone species throughout Oregon, but they can cause damage to property and crops and have thus been the target of extermination efforts for decades. This is a proposal for a $1.5 million grant program fund that incentivizes private landowners to engage and implement non-lethal coexistence strategies. It will be administered through the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund under ODFW as flexible block grants up to $50K until the fund runs out. The program will allow for some funds to be allocated for technical assistance. Eligible entities to apply for grants include watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, and nonprofits.

MOVEMENT ALERT: This bill had a public hearing on 2/5. Virtually all of the testimony was in support of this bill. At the work session on 2/10, it passed out of committee with a vote of 8-0 (with one absence). It's now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

ACTION ALERT: COIN members can urge committee members to fund this bill and keep it moving forward. It didn't make it through last year. Let's help get it across the finish line this year. 

SB 92 - Community Solar Projects    COIN ENDORSES THIS BILL. 

The bill increases opportunities for community solar projects to interconnect with electric companies subject to regulation by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. It sets a cap on total generating capacity of all community solar projects to 4.5% of the utility's system peak in 2026 and increases that by 2% per year up to 14.5% in 2031. Currently the cap is lower, so this is an improvement.  Among other things, this bill will also decrease delays in community solar project completion, increase flexibility allowed for projects, and incentivize battery storage for community resilience. 

     COIN Worksheet

The bill is currently in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment. 

A public hearing was held Wednesday 2/26. You can watch the hearing here.

HB 3170 - Community Resilience Hubs    COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

Provides additional funding for Community Resilience Hubs. During the 2023 Legislation COIN endorsed and lobbied for HB 2990 - Community Resilience Hubs. It ended up being folded into the omnibus HB 3409 Climate Package at the end of the session which passed.  But it was not funded sufficiently at the time. The current bill, HB3170, adds additional funding to provide grants for communities to develop resilience hubs. 

A public hearing was held on 2/4. View the recording here. The testimony was overwhelmingly in support of this bill. 

MOVEMENT ALERT: A work session was held on 3/4 and the committee gave it a DO PASS recommendation by a vote of 7-0 with 5 members absent. Watch the session here.  The bill now moves to Ways and Means. 

ACTION ALERT: You can contact members of the committee and urge them to fund this important legislation. 

HB 3580 - Eelgrass Study   COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This Act establishes the Task Force on Eelgrass Resources, provides duties of the task force, and directs the task force to submit a report to the Legislative Assembly no later than September 15, 2027. Declares an emergency, effective on passage. Coastal communities are increasingly impacted by rising seas and extreme weather. This bill creates a taskforce to set conservation and restoration targets for this important carbon-sequestering species. Decreasing eelgrass could present threats to coastal climate resilience. 

This bill is currently in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. 

A public hearing was held on 3/5. Watch the session here. 

HB 2342 - Incremental Increases of ODFW License and Tag Fees. COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This bill would implement an incremental increase for license and tag fees issued by Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The last increase in license and tag fees was 6 years ago. The more money for the “game” species conservation, the less they will take from funds for wildlife “non-game” species conservation. Here is the 

A public hearing was held on 2/24. Watch the hearing here.  

SB 747 - Reporting Fertilizer Use on Agricultural Land   COIN ENDORSES this bill.  

Requires those who own 200+ irrigated agricultural land to report the type and quantity of fertilizer applied to fields to help monitor over-application of fertilizer that contaminates surface and groundwater with nitrates. 

The bill is the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and  Wildfire. 

A hearing was held on 2/4.  Watch the hearing here.  You can read testimony here. 

SB 776  Predator Control in Drought Areas   COIN OPPOSES this bill. 

SB 776 instructs the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to identify certain "drought" areas as wildlife management units or herd ranges and undertake predator control in the wildlife management units or herd ranges until certain criteria are met. Those criteria require the killing of unspecified predators as the primary method of increasing some big game species herds as much as 60% in areas having some of the worst habitat conditions due to many other factors affecting wildlife populations in addition to drought. ODFW already implements conservation measures as identified in Section 2 of SB 776, through their species and habitat management plans, making this bill redundant to current ongoing activities. Some of the species this bill references killing are in decline themselves.

Currently in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire.

SB 427 - Protection of Stream Flows    COIN has ENDORSED this bill.

Oregon water law has a flaw that allows for the transfer of water rights without consideration as to what harm that transfer would have on stream flows and water quality. Many of our water laws were crafted in a time where there was little regard for environmental consequences. SB 427 is a very modest attempt to correct one loophole in those laws. It would help safeguard our streams when water transfers were considered and not allow any further degradation of our streams. 


Drought risk in our state, especially Eastern Oregon, is causing water shortage and lower stream flows. This is expected to continue. This legislation will insure we don’t add to those problems unnecessarily. We need to do all we can to protect the stream flows we have.

Currently in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire.


A public hearing was held on 2/25. Watch the hearing here.

HB 2965-5 - Restrictions on Net Pen Aquaculture    COIN ENDORSES this bill. 

This bill would restrict use of net pens or cages that confine finfish in marine or estuarine waters.  Net pens or cages are already banned or severely restricted in CA, WA, and AK. A typical industrial fish farm results in 1 million pounds of waste each year.  Fish feed, waste, chemicals, and such are discharged into marine and estuarine waters, causing pollution.  There have been massive fish escapes that have released millions of farmed fish into our these waters, causing havoc in wild fish ecosystems and disease in wild fish populations. 

This bill will not prevent the growth of aquaculture in Oregon; it will help protect our oceans and estuarine waters and aquatic ecosystems from unnecessary damage. 

The bill is in the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

A public hearing was held on HB 2965-5 on 2/26. Watch the hearing here. 

HB 3103 - Requires logging to be prioritized in management of state forests   COIN OPPOSES this bill.


This bill would require the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to establish a harvest level by rule that prioritizes timber harvest over other values. Currently, management of state forests requires a balance of multiple values, including habitat, clean water, fish and wildlife, and recreation. The bill undermines all other plans, policies or directives made by the Board of Forestry, including the State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan and the Climate Change and Carbon Plan.  Also, HB 3103 would establish a new right to sue the ODF over state forest timber harvest plans and obtain court orders to compel more clearcuts on public land.

Currently in House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water 


A public hearing was held on HB 3103 Monday, 3/3.  View the recording of the hearing here. 

HB 3081  One-Stop-Shop Energy Incentives COIN ENDORSES this bill.


Requires the State Department of Energy to coordinate with other organizations, conduct outreach, establish a statewide navigation and support system and provide information in multiple languages, as part of the department's single resource for providing information and assistance related to available energy efficiency incentives and programs. This bill enhances the one-stop-shop for the public to learn about energy incentives.

The bill is currently in the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment.

There was a public hearing Tuesday 3/4 at 8:00 AM. Watch the session here. 

SB 88  Get the Junk Out of Rates   COIN ENDORSES this bill.

Prohibits an electric or gas company from recovering from ratepayers costs or expenses associated with advertising, political influence activity, litigation, penalties or fines and certain compensation. 

The bill is currently in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment. 

There was a public hearing on 3/3 for SB 88. Watch the session here. Testimony submitted was almost entirely in support.

HB 2984 - Oregon Conservation & Recreation Fund   COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending endorsement.

HB  2984 appropriates $1.5 million to ODFW for deposit in the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (OCRF) for projects that "relate to water" and protect, maintain or enhance fish and wildlife resources. OCRF is overseen by an advisory committee and serves as a grant fund for projects that further the Oregon Conservation Strategy. In 2022, the legislature appropriated $5 million to OCRF as part of the drought resilience package; the OCRF has been effective in spending down those funds on meaningful projects and this bill will help maintain that momentum. 

MOVEMENT ALERT! A public hearing was held on 2/5 and a work session was held on 2/12 when the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water voted unanimously to pass this bill. Now it's in the Joint Committee On Ways and Means. 

ACTION ALERT: If you want to help keep this bill moving forward, you can email committee members and urge them to fully fund this bill. 

SB 333 and HB 2403 - Creation of Special Districts for Predator Control    COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending opposition.

Both of these bills authorize the creation of special taxing districts to raise money for control of wildlife considered a danger to farm animals and or problematic to other agriculture. The species include coyotes, bears, cougars, gray wolves, and “fur-bearing mammals” such as beavers, bobcats, otters and foxes. The Act would let landowners, per County, form a “district” to pay the costs to their County, of staving off damage to their land caused by predators, by both nonlethal and lethal means. 

Passing this bill would fly in the face of democratic processes. The makeup of the proposed County boards is biased towards the control of predators or furbearers. There are no board members with non-landowner affiliations. Wildlife belongs to the people regardless of land ownership. Citizens of Oregon who have an interest in wildlife are left out of the process; we would have zero input. ODFW has the responsibility of managing our wildlife.  The State must retain the responsibilities to sustain all endemic wildlife species in Oregon, including predators and furbearers.  ODFW must retain it.

HB 2403 is currently in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water and SB 333 is currently in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire. 

HB 3114 - Chewaucan River Watershed Management    COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending endorsement.

HB 3114 is focused on providing support for a collaborative process designed to improve management of water to benefit the Lake Abert ecosystem What You'll Find at Lake Abert - Oregon Natural Desert Association. The bill provides funding for and instructs Portland State University and Oregon State University to continue facilitating a process( Partnership for Lake Abert and the Chewaucan (PLACe) – Oregon Consensus) for all parties to deliberate on water management in the Chewaucan River watershed, including Lake Abert. It also directs the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Water Resources Department to undertake activities to support the collaborative conversation underway, and to understand the status of the watershed’s natural resources by requiring the 2 departments to collect and analyze data and information relative to this watershed. 

The issue is important to biodiversity conservationists, birders, Saline Lake advocates, and citizens who generally support functional ecosystems for the health of the planet. This local stalemate has become a national issue for conservationists, so Oregon conservationists began holding the Governor’s Office feet to the fire. 

This bill is currently in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water and we have heard rumors that there may be a public hearing on March 19, but so far, nothing has been officially scheduled on OLIS. We'll keep you posted. 

SB 5543 – Funding for the Oregon Water Resource Dept.    COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending endorsement.

This bill provides a variety of funding provisions for the Oregon Water Resource Department, some good , some bad. Good: Maintains OWRD’s current funding levels to provide services.  Package 107 would provide funding to modernize the IT systems. Package 111 would ensure the agency website is up to date and more accessible. Bad: The department does not have enough funding to properly collect data and manage the resource. Package 090 would reduce funding for data collection and services . We are opposed to this provision. 

The bill is currently in the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources.  

The bill has had two informational sessions and you can watch the recordings here for 2/18 and here for 2/19. There was also a public hearing on 2/20 and you can watch that here.  Testimony was mostly in support of SB 5543. 

HB 3666 - Utilities and Wildfire Liability   COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending opposition.

HB 3666 requires electric public utilities to apply for a wildfire safety certification. It allows consumer-owned utilities to apply for the certification, too. The Public Utility Commission (PUC) will then issue a certification if the applicant has and implements a “wildfire protection plan” or “wildfire mitigation plan” and meets certain requirements. This certification, however, would potentially immunize utilities from liability for wildfires they cause. The PUC can grant applications for wildfire safety certifications based on utility’s plans, but the certificate is good for a year and there’s no provision for requiring them to carry out their plan. We think it’s a scam to protect utilities from responsibility. 

The bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. We anticipate it will get a public hearing due to powerful lobbying from the utility companies, so stay tuned! 

SB 969 -  Energy Facility Siting on Federal Land    COIN is WATCHING this bill, pending opposition.

This bill would prohibit the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council from exercising jurisdiction over renewable energy facilities or transmission line on federal lands. We see no reason for Oregon to abandon its jurisdiction over such projects, particularly since the Trump administration has recently scrapped federal NEPA regulations — rules that since 1977 have told federal agencies how to analyze the effects of building roads and energy facilities.  While we support renewable energy, we recognize that improper siting can have negative environmental impacts. Some oversight is needed at the state level. 

This bill is currently in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment   

It had a hearing on 2/26. You can watch it here.