Dear John,

The 2025 legislative session concluded at 11:15 on June 27th. We did not accomplish all that we hoped to. It was a missed opportunity for lawmakers to respond to the escalating risks – from climate impacts, rising energy costs, and dire federal rollbacks – with bold, forward-looking policies that align with Oregon’s deeply held values of environmental stewardship, equity, and resilience. To put it simply, this session wasn’t what we expected with the newly elected supermajorities. Will you send your lawmakers a message today to urge them to prioritize these values going forward?

Let’s break down where all of our priorities landed:

• Failed—Pro-Climate and Pro-Conservation Budgets: Nothing to point to on investment for climate and environment. This was a challenging year with a lot of federal attacks but the need for these critical investments remains.
• Failed/Not Strong Enough on Climate—Transportation Package: The bill (HB 2025) included some important safety and transit investments, but did not include steps forward on climate, which caused us to be neutral on the bill. Ultimately, the bill failed to pass. This was one of our biggest opportunities to reduce climate pollution, and something we have to keep working towards.
  • Wildlife Crossings (HB 2978) passed.
• Mixed—Energy Affordable and Utility Accountability:
  • The POWER Act (HB 3546) passed. A big win to ensure mega-energy users pay their fair share!
  • Get the Junk Out of Rates (SB 88) and One Stop Shop 2.0 (HB 3081) both failed to pass.
  • Some other wins worth celebrating for lowering Oregonian’s utility bills and ensuring that our utility companies’ are using their profits for the good of the public, that weren’t included in this package:
    • The FAIR Act (HB 3179), which ensures that Oregon consumers are priorities when setting energy rates, passed.
    • Senate Bill 688, which provides new tools for holding utilities accountable for spending money, lowering energy bills, public safety, and providing grid reliability, passed.
• Failed—Safeguarding Streamflows to Protect Oregon's Water: Both SB 427 and SB 1153 did not pass. OLCV would like to thank Gov. Tina Kotek for making modernization of water laws a top priority this session. Oregon's limited water resources are under such pressure in many areas that new withdrawals are no longer feasible. As a result, water transfers—modifying existing water rights to allow use in different locations or for new purposes—are being used more frequently to support new water needs. Oregonians are counting on us to ensure our laws are protective of our water and we will continue to support this work. 
• Failed—Wildlife Stewardship Program (OLCV Special Focus): did not get funded. 

There were also a number of other bills that we were happy to see pass even though they were not part of our priority packages. We were also able to stop 5 of our Major Threats this session, although one passed:  Wolf Depredation Compensation Program Bill (SB 777). This bill significantly increases the wolf depredations multiplier, presenting significant risks to wolf conservation and the long-term goal of coexistence. To read the full debrief on this session, check out our blog post here. 

As an OLCV member, I’m sure that you’re just as disappointed as we are that our lawmakers missed their opportunity to meet the moment. However, the fight is not yet over. Please send your legislators a message to voice your disappointment of how this session went, and stay tuned for the full breakdown in the 2025 scorecard. 

Regardless, as a close out to this session, I want to thank you for showing up for our climate and environment all session long. OLCV members successfully participated in three lobby days this session: OLCV and Oregon Conservation Network’s (OCN) Lobby Day, Building Resilience Lobby Day, and Move Oregon Forward (MOF) Advocacy Day. We had over 300 volunteers joining us in Salem to urge their legislators to stand up for the environment and climate we all depend on. Together, we can win this fight.

Sincerely,

Eliza Walton (she/they)

OLCV Coalition Director

Oregon League of Conservation Voters
1110 SE Alder Suite 220
Portland, OR 97214
United States

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