Session Watch: Greenhouse Gas Bill Goes To Governor
UPDATE: Our initial vote tally was incorrect. It’s been updated.
In the last days of the special session, one more victory notch in the belt of Oregon’s environmental community.
This afternoon, the House approved SB 1059, a bill that lowers greenhouse gas emissions from car and light trucks. The Oregon Environmental Council says the vote was 32-26. The Senate approved the bill yesterday, all that’s left is getting the Governor’s signature.
Here’s a brief rundown of what’s in the bill:
State agencies develop a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in Oregon.
Working with metro area governments, the agencies develop guidelines on how to reduce emissions. This includes looking at land use policy to and mass transit options. Supporters hope this will lead to less sprawl and make it easier to people to get around without driving.
The next step is creating a “toolkit” for local governments to use. This may include information about the options local governments have to reduce emissions, which methods are most effective, and the costs and benefits.
The five metro areas of Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Medford, Bend and Corvallis will get specific targets to hit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. A separate law covers the Portland metro area.
Finally, the agencies report back to the legislature on how much all of this is going to cost.
FYI, we (OEC) mistakenly said 31-27 in a posting on Facebook before seeing that one vote had changed — the actual vote was 32-26.