While the short session focused on other high-profile issues, Oregon electric co-ops made headway on critical issues.
By Tucker Billman
Like all of Oregon’s short legislative sessions, the 2024 Legislative Assembly blew by like a bolt of electricity. However, unlike some past legislative sessions, electricity issues and carbon reduction mandates were not the primary focus of lawmakers this year. Instead, affordable housing issues and Measure 110 reforms dominated the legislative debate.
Nevertheless, the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association (ORECA) used the short session to boost important discussions on critical issues affecting the ability of electric cooperatives to deliver affordable and reliable electricity to their member-owners. These discussions focused on transmission, wildfire mitigation, rights-of-way access, and electric cooperative power supply.
Undoubtedly, many of those issues will receive more attention in Oregon’s long session in 2025, and ORECA laid the groundwork for many of those conversations.
2 issues topped ORECA’s list in 2024: wildfire mitigation and reliable power supply. Both topics affect millions of Oregonians, including those in electric cooperative service territories and constituents of key legislators in Salem. ORECA made progress as it further unpacked the role of every Oregonian in de-escalating the wildfire risks exacerbated by a hotter, drier climate.
While Oregon’s electric cooperatives are investing heavily in wildfire mitigation plans, legislators need to remember any real reductions in wildfire risk in the state require an all-of-Oregon approach.
ORECA also educated lawmakers about its concerns regarding an agreement Oregon made with Washington, the federal government, and 4 tribal nations creating a pathway to breach the lower Snake River dams. The deal threatens the reliability and affordability of our power supply and jeopardizes our ability to continue providing the cleanest power mix in the state.
While previous legislative sessions have focused almost entirely on mandating the development of new carbon-free electricity generation, little thought has been given to how that electricity will move around the state. Expanding transmission capacity is necessary to move this power, and during the 2024 session, the Legislature began addressing the role of the state in that expansion. ORECA worked to ensure co-ops would be at the table, helping shape state policy on this topic.
While legislative action involving the utility industry is often highly contentious, there was evidence some of these thorny issues can be resolved by compromise.
In this session, 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. Co-op experts dedicated invaluable time to this effort. Without their investment, the consequences of the resulting legislation could have been substantial. ORECA is grateful for their efforts.
ORECA will continue to use its members’ voices to advance the interests of the industry in front of Oregon’s Legislative Assembly. Too much is at stake to not be involved during such a critical time.
