Legislative Update

Oregon’s 2024 Legislative Assembly recently wrapped up its short session. While housing and the drug policy around Measure 110 dominated the public headlines, the Legislature considered other equally complex issues with less fanfare.

Central Electric Cooperative and its trade association, the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association, were part of the mix. We engaged lawmakers to highlight critical issues affecting cooperatives’ ability to deliver safe, affordable and reliable electricity to you.

Extreme wildfires remains one of Oregon’s most pressing issues. Exacerbated by a hotter, drier climate and longer wildfire seasons, these wildfires leave a wake of human, structural and environmental destruction. No easy fix exists. While best practices require a holistic approach, garnering consensus on them proves difficult. Legislators and stakeholders continue discussions on how every Oregonian can do their part to help mitigate the risks. We anticipate seeing proposals introduced next year.

Transmission is another complex emerging issue. While previous legislative sessions focused on mandating carbon-free electricity, there is growing recognition that existing transmission within the state is insufficient in the long term to meet growing demand.

Dependence on intermittent resources will only intensify as more coal, natural gas and nuclear-generating facilities throughout the Pacific Northwest are retired, compounded by more consumers transitioning to increasingly electric homes and cars.

Expanding or building new transmission requires stakeholder input, including from the federal and state governments, the utility industry, environmental groups and citizens as they wrestle with myriad issues, such as planning, land acquisition and environmental considerations before construction of any new transmission begins. ORECA and its members are committed to working through this process at every step.

We also shared our concerns with lawmakers about creating a pathway to breach the lower Snake River dams. Losing this 24/7, clean, reliable resource—which firms intermittent renewable energy—will have long-term effects on your power rates and the ability to keep the lights on during extreme weather events.

The short session provided evidence that compromise can resolve thorny issues. Oregon electric cooperatives partnered with other utilities and rural counties to negotiate a solution—Senate Bill 1566—to a long-running issue regarding the cost counties incur when administering utility access to county rights-of-way. This compromise protects co-ops against unnecessary costs while being fair to their county partners.

We continue to use our voices with policymakers to protect our ability to be your trusted energy provider. Too much is at stake not to be at the table during a critical time in our industry.

You can be a voice, too. Sign up for Voices of Cooperative Power at http://voicesforcooperativepower.com/oregon ,a platform to stay informed and speak up about energy policies affecting your life.

President and CEO Brad Wilson