SOCAN 2026 Legislative Deep-Dive
Deep-dive & Toolkits
Senate Bills –
Clean Energy Financing
SB 1526 directs the Oregon Department of Energy to seek at least $2 million in grant funding (primarily from the State Agency Program Fund) to pay for “pre-startup” work to create a new nonprofit financing entity. If enough grant funding is secured, ODOE must recruit and convene a founding board to form the nonprofit.
Make Polluters Pay
SB 1541 would create a statewide Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to calculate Oregon’s costs from climate change tied to historic greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and seek cost-recovery payments from large fossil-fuel entities deemed “responsible parties.” The recovered money would fund climate resilience projects across Oregon, with set-asides for wildfire-related work and environmental justice communities.
Utility Wildfire Liability
SB 1553 changes how costs and damages are handled when a large electric utility (serving more than 25,000 Oregon retail customers) is found at fault for a wildfire. Resilience through risk reduction incentives: By shifting wildfire negligence-related costs away from customers and toward the utility, the bill may push utilities toward stronger grid/wildfire resilience planning—an adaptation outcome.
Woodburn Urban Growth Boundary Expansion
SB 1564 directly expands the City of Woodburn’s urban growth boundary (UGB) by adding a defined area of land (described by roads, the existing UGB edge, and a Marion County tax lot boundary). SB 1564 is not a direct emissions-reduction bill, but it can influence emissions trajectories through land use and housing patterns.
Distributed Power Plant Programs for the Grid
SB 1582 requires every investor-owned electric company regulated under ORS chapter 757 to create a “distributed power plant” (DPP) program—a way for customers (directly or via third-party aggregators) to get paid for using behind-the-meter devices like batteries, smart load controls, and EVs to provide grid services (e.g., peak load reduction, voltage support, emergency services).
Salmon Credit Pilot Program
SB 1584 directs the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), to create a pilot “salmon credit” program in the Coquille and Coos watershed basins. A costly proposal that does little to protect the wildlife it proports to serve.
Pay-as-you-save
SB 1588 requires each investor-owned electric company to create an Inclusive Utility Investment Program that finances customer-side projects—like energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy—at a customer’s home or business with no upfront payment required.
Disclosure of “Waste Storage” Costs for Electricity
Electric utilities (investor-owned utilities, PUDs, municipal utilities, and co-ops) to disclose to customers the costs of storing waste produced by an energy facility in generating electricity when those costs are being recovered in the utility’s rates. How much to we pay for dirty energy?
Senate Joint Resolutions –
Fix the Kicker
SJR 201 proposes a constitutional amendment changing how Oregon’s personal income tax “kicker” works when state revenues greatly exceed forecasts.
Under current law, most excess General Fund revenue (outside corporate taxes) is returned entirely to personal income taxpayers.
Anti-Walkout Bill
SJR 202 asks Oregon voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would automatically add days to the length of a legislative session when either the Oregon Senate or House cannot conduct business because it fails to achieve a quorum after attempting to do so.