Just got off the phone with Charlie Plybon of Oregon Surfrider. Plybon says SB 1009, the bill to ban plastic bags at grocery stores and other retail locations is done for the session.
Plybon says sponsor Senator Mark Hass of Beaverton withdrew the bill this afternoon. He quoted Hass as telling the Environment and Natural Resources Committee there wasn’t enough of a consensus for it.
WEDNESDAY:
Urban Reserves
The Metro Policy Advisory Committee meets today to consider urban and rural reserves. It will make a recommendation based on the plan approved earlier this week by the Core 4 group. The committee’s job is to advise the full Metro Council on land use decisions.
Details: 5pm, Metro Council Chambers, 600 NE Grant Ave, Portland
Georgia Pacific Wastewater Meeting
Oregon Surfrider, Oregon DEQ, the Georgia Pacific company and OSU are leading a public meeting in Newport to talk about G-P’s wastewater permit for its mill in Toledo, Oregon.
In the past, Surfrider has complained that the permit doesn’t address important issues such as how much bacteria is in the wastewater, the cloudiness or turbidity of the discharge, or what it does to oxygen levels in the Pacific Ocean.
The G-P mill wastewater is sent out through a pipe that extends 4000 feet into the ocean near Nye Beach.
Details: 6:30pm, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Hennings Auditorium, Newport
Some testimony, but no action today on two environmental bills before the special session.
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee heard from witnesses on SB 1059, the bill that requires urban areas to reduce greenhouse gases from cars and trucks, but it did not take vote. And because of time constraints, it put off taking another look at SB 1032, the bisphenol A ban.
Both bills come up again Thursday afternoon.
Work on the environment community’s agenda for the special session resumes Tuesday.
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee becomes the unofficial epicenter in the afternoon when it takes up two of the most important green bills of the session.
Starting with….
Barring any surprises, it appears the Legislature has avoided dealing with LNG issues during the special session. Two bills dealing with LNG have been dropped from the calendar.
One would have made things easier for LNG developers by speeding up part of the permitting process. The other would have made things harder, requiring the state to determine there was a need for imported LNG before allowing the projects to go forward.
HUD Secretary Donovan. Photo from HUD.
Saying that, “everyone wants to be like Portland,” Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan came to this city to announce he’s creating a new office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.
Donovan told a group at Portland State University that this office will lead Housing and Urban Development’s new emphasis on building stronger and more sustainable communities across the country.
He also says that sustainability – including more energy efficient homes and apartments, as well as access to mass transit – needs to be made more affordable.
Thursday’s green agenda in Salem includes the first hearing on a proposed bisphenol A (BPA) ban, and a possible vote on a bill to ban offshore oil and gas drilling near the Oregon coast.
Some updates to pass along on three bills we’re following in the special session.
Bills to ban offshore drilling and plastic bags are hanging in there. The plastic bag ban even received an unexpected boost. Then there’s a bill that would make it harder for LNG projects to win state approval. That bill has finally found a home.
Legislators get their first look at two environmental related bills in Salem today.
One would permanently ban offshore oil and natural gas exploration in Oregon’s coastal waters. The other calls for a ban on plastic bags at grocery stores and other retail outlets.
The Oregon League of Conservation Voters says its focusing on three environmental bills on the upcoming special session of the Legislature.
They include a ban on BPA, a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, and a plan to help Oregon’s largest metro communities reduce greenhouse gases.
