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.

1000 Friends of Oregon and the Oregon Environmental Council released a joint statement praising the bill.

Mary Kyle McCurdy, 1000 Friends of Oregon Policy Director says, “This victory will help create healthier, sustainable communities across Oregon. And it’s a major step for giving Oregonians better transportation choices.”

“SB 1059 is a win-win for cities and towns across Oregon,” says Chris Hagerbaumer, Deputy Director of the Oregon Environmental Council. “The bill will help create the tools and resources local governments need to make cost effective decisions on planning future growth while also improving air quality and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Cities and towns of all sizes will be able to use the tools that the agencies develop.”

The bill doesn’t just set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in metro areas, but according to the statement also…

• Directs state agencies to develop a statewide transportation strategy on greenhouse gases.
• To craft a toolkit to assist local governments and metro areas in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
• To develop guidelines for scenario planning – used by communities across the country to consider alternative choices of land use patterns and transportation options to reduce emissions.
• To work with the Oregon University System to educate the public about the costs and benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Report back to the 2011 Legislature with an estimate of how much it will cost local governments to prepare and select a land use and transportation scenario that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and potential sources of funding.
• And then report back to the 2013 Legislative Assembly with an assessment of how the agencies are doing on these tasks.

SB 1059 is based on recommendations from 2009 Metropolitan Planning Organization Greenhouse Gas Emissions Task Force.

Earlier:

Within the past half hour, the Oregon Senate approved a bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

The vote was 17 to 13. It now goes to the House for a vote, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

SB 1059 calls for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in five of the state’s metro areas including; Eugene-Springfield, Salem-Keizer, Medford, Corvallis and Bend. Supporters hope it will lead to these area’s expanding their mass transit systems and finding ways to control sprawl. The Portland metro area is covered by another law regulating greenhouse gases.

This is the second big win of the session for Oregon’s environmental community and my Twitter and Facebook accounts are going a little crazy with messages. That’s not a complaint, by the way.

The other important victory of the session is a ten-year ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along Oregon’s coastline. That bill has passed both houses and will likely be signed by Governor Kulongoski, if he hasn’t signed it already.

Another priority bill for the session, a ban on bisphenol A, lost momentum when it hit the Senate floor. A 15-15 tie vote killed the legislation and attempts to revive it through the House Rules Committee failed.

The Oregon Environmental Council has a webpage explaining more about how SB 1059 works.

See: SB 1059: Creating Climate-Friendly Communities

Under the bill, state agencies will set greenhouse gas reduction targets for five metro areas in the state, Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Bend, Medford and Corvallis. The Portland metro area is already covered by a similar law.

The bill also calls for the state to help the metro areas by giving them help with planning and ideas on the best ways to reach the goals.

Supporters are hoping this will encourage more metro areas in the state to expand their mass transit options, and look for ways to control sprawl.

The Senate convenes this afternoon starting at 1pm. Brock Howell of Environment Oregon says if the bill passes, the House could vote on as soon as tomorrow.

This is what the bill does.

• Requires ODOT and the Department of Land Conservation to set overall state strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
• Sets emissions targets that the state’s largest metro areas have to reach by 2035. This includes Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Bend, Medford and Corvallis. It doesn’t include Portland because that metro area is covered by separate legislation.
• Provides the metro areas with ideas, strategies and plans to help them achieve the new goals.

Supporters hope this will lead to more mass transit in the regions covered by the bill, and help prevent sprawl.

Thanks to 1000 Friends of Oregon for the tip!

But rather than going straight to the Senate floor, SB 1059 will be taking an unexpected detour.

Eric Stachon of 1000 Friends of Oregon says the bill was forwarded to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. Stachon says that’s because the bill requires some federal funds to be moved from one account to another, something that Ways and Means has to approve.

It’s not clear if this helps or hurts the bill’s prospects. But if Ways and Means goes along, the bill can move to the floor of both houses without any more hearings.

Here’s what’s in SB 1059 in its current form.

• Requires ODOT and the Department of Land Conservation to set overall state strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
• Requires emissions targets that the state’s largest metro areas have to reach by 2035. This includes Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Bend, Medford and Corvallis. It doesn’t include Portland because that metro area is covered by separate legislation.
• Provides the metro areas with ideas, strategies and plans to help them achieve the new goals.

Supporters hope this will lead to more mass transit in the regions covered by the bill, and help prevent sprawl.

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….

SB 1032: Bisphenol A Ban

The committee is done taking testimony on the bill, so it could possibly take a vote today. The bill bans the sale and manufacture of BPA lined containers that are designed for children less than three years old. It also bans selling food to small children that’s been stored in a BPA lined container.

SB 1059: Greenhouse Gas From Transportation

This is the first hearing on SB 1059, so expect testimony from both sides of the issue. A vote is not likely unless there’s already widespread support behind it. The bill tells Oregon’s largest metro areas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. It also provides help to design plans and implement them. Supporters say it will encourage more mass transit and less sprawl. Portland metro is exempt because similar legislation for the area was approved in a previous session. The bill applies to Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Medford, Bend, and Corvallis.

The meetings for these two bills are scheduled for 1pm, Tuesday, in Hearing Room B. SB 1059 is also on the committee’s schedule for Thursday.

SB 1009: Plastic Bag Ban

This bill goes back before the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday. It bans single use plastic bags at grocery and retail stores. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters says we use 39 million plastic bags in the state every year, gulping up 150,000 barrels of oil.

In the plastic vs paper battle, if you consider the costs of producing and recycling the bags, there’s no clear winner. But plastic has a worse reputation for ending up as ugly litter along roads, streams, lakes, beaches and the ocean. The last two examples are why Oregon Surfrider is working so hard to pass SB 1009.