2018 Legislative Session: The Good & The Bad

The 2018 legislative session is over and, as always, there’s some good news and some bad news from Salem.

The bad news is that neither the Clean Energy Jobs or the Home WRAP bills passed. Despite all the support the bills received from Oregonians across the state, the dynamics of a short session and a tight budget killed both bills.

The good news is that legislative leaders and the governor agreed to work together to pass the Clean Energy Jobs bill in the 2019 legislature. Thanks to support from thousands of citizens and businesses, legislators heard loud and clear that Oregonians want to take action to reduce our contribution to climate pollution. Speaker of the House Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney will co-chair a new, bipartisan Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, and Governor Kate Brown will create a new Carbon Policy Office, both of which will help prepare the legislature for passing the bill next year.

<Read more about what happened on Clean Energy Jobs this session from our partners at Renew Oregon, who are leading the campaign to pass the bill.>

The future of the Home WRAP bill is not so clear. Its innovative approach to incentivizing investments in energy efficiency and solar for Oregonians of all income levels received a lot of positive feedback from legislators. But the program required new funds and the legislature’s budget writers were firmly opposed to any new spending this year. The bill’s sponsors are still assessing its prospects for 2019.

Your voice made a difference this year and will be essential to getting Clean Energy Jobs (and perhaps Home WRAP, too) across the finish line in 2019. We’re committed to keeping you informed and engaged when things heat up again in Salem next January.

So stay tuned for 2019!