Oregon Legislature Stalls on Climate Bills While Some Rollbacks Pass

The short session in Oregon saw most climate‑focused proposals stalled, leaving the state’s clean‑energy plans largely unchanged. A key idea that would have let the state tap a “Climate Superfund” to cover wildfire and heat damage never left committee, missing another chance to hold big polluters accountable. Supporters argued the fund could help pay for recovery, but critics warned it might push fossil‑fuel firms to hike prices for locals. Senator Khanh Pham said she will keep pushing the concept in future sessions. Another bill that fell short would have let households install heat pumps, solar panels and weather‑proofing upgrades without paying upfront. The plan called for utilities to front the costs and recover them through monthly bills, a move praised by Senator Jeff Golden as a way to ease grid strain and lower energy use for low‑income families. Golden urged utilities to act quickly so people can improve their homes now rather than years later. In the House, a proposal to let residents plug in small solar panels for their own use was rejected by the Climate Committee. Those panels can cover up to a quarter of a home’s energy and are popular in Europe and Asia. Representative Sarah Finger McDonald said she will refine the bill for next year’s session.A related idea that could let more homes and businesses sell excess solar, battery or electric‑vehicle power back to the grid is also slated for a future session. Advocates say this would boost grid reliability during peak demand and make energy cheaper and more independent. The so‑called FORGE Act, which would have directed the state’s energy department to seek seed money from a Monsanto settlement fund for renewable projects and climate‑resilient infrastructure, also died in committee despite broad business support. Meanwhile, a bill that rolled back lighting standards gave large commercial buildings an exemption from the state’s fluorescent‑lamp ban, pushing compliance to 2030. Transportation policy also moved forward but trimmed funding for electric‑vehicle charging, passenger rail and bike‑friendly projects. Only one new law – a waiver that lets wind and solar sites skip a state siting council if they qualify for an expiring federal tax credit – will help a few projects speed up before costs rise. Climate Solutions’ director Nora Apter said the legislature’s slow pace and some rollbacks come at a time when federal subsidies for clean‑energy upgrades have been cut. The session’s outcome shows that while Oregon still has the ambition to tackle climate change, significant legislative hurdles remain and some progress is being undone.