Alan R.P. Journet Ph.D
Cofacilitator
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
February 28th, 2026

SOCAN Comments opposing HB 4018A

Co-Chairs Lieber and Sanchez and members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means:

Co-Chairs Girod and Nosse and members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction:

I write as cofacilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN), the oldest grassroots climate organization in the Rogue Valley now representing some 2,000 Southern Oregonians. We are concerned about the climate crisis and seek federal, state and local action to address it. We are rural and coastal Southern Oregonians who live on the frontlines of the warming, reducing snowpack, heatwaves, drought, rising sea level and the increasing wildfire risk that these trends conspire to impose on us. Because of our concern, we pay close attention to efforts nationally, statewide, and locally that impact our collective efforts to address the climate crisis. As our logo above indicates, the focus of SOCAN is to promote action through science while encouraging that this be undertaken through a social justice lens.

Many activists engaged in the effort to promote legislative action that would drive the state towards reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced carbon dioxide sequestration are fully aware that legislative efforts to achieve these goals face the massive obstacle presented by campaign contributions that flow to legislators committed to blocking such efforts (e.g. Moore 2020; GW 2021; Kirk 2025).

Awareness of the obscene influence that campaign contributions have over legislative activity is the primary driver that led voters to sign on massively to a citizen petition effort in 2024 to impose meaningful campaign finance limits in Oregon. It was little surprise that the petition drive was so successful since OVBC (2024) reported that 75 of those polled agreed that “Laws should be passed to regulate unlimited money in political campaigns” The success of the petition campaign led legislators to propose a countermeasure (Nesbitt 2024). HB4024 (OLIS 2024) was proposed by the legislature as a transparent effort to prevent the more extensive reforms embodied in the Initiative Petition from becoming law. Despite push-back from those wishing genuine campaign finance reform, this legislative ploy worked.

That the legislature should now be seeking to unravel the reforms contained in HB4024 represent, as The Oregonian Editorial Board argued (OEB 2026), s an absolute betrayal of the voters and, if successful, will almost certainly result in a repeat of the 2024 IP – 9 effort. Before voting HB4018 out ‘Do Pass,’ legislators should reflect on whether they would be happier with the 2024 HB4024A, or the Petition Initiative it negated.

For the above reasons, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now strongly urges rejection of HB4108.

Respectfully Submitted

Alan Journet Ph.D.
7113 Griffin Lane
Jacksonville
OR 97530-4392
[email protected]
541-500-2331
541-301-4107

GW 2021 How do corporations influence decisions on climate action? Global Witness https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/how-do-corporations-influence-decisions-on-climate-action/

HE 2024 Initiative Petition 9 for 2024 Honest Elections https://www.honest-elections.com/petition-9-2024.html

Kirk K. 2025 The fossil fuel industry spent $219 million to elect the new U.S. government. Yale Climate Solutions. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/01/the-fossil-fuel-industry-spent-219-million-to-elect-the-new-u-s-government/

Moore D. 2020 NEW FROM OREGON: Republican Lawmakers’ Walkout Will Bring Them Big Campaign Checks from Big Polluters League of Conservation Voters. https://www.lcv.org/media-center/new-oregon-republican-lawmakers-walkout-will-bring-big-campaign-checks-big-polluters/

Nesbitt T 2024 Oregon’s ‘30 Years War’ over campaign finance reform approaches its final battle. Oregon Capital Chronicle https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/02/29/oregons-30-years-war-over-campaign-finance-reform-approaches-its-final-battle/

OEB 2026 Editorial: A complete betrayal on campaign finance Oregonian Editorial Board https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026/02/editorial-a-complete-betrayal-on-campaign-finance.html

OLIS 2024 2024 Regular Session HB4024 Enrolled. Oregon Legislative Information System https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2024r1/Measures/Overview/HB4024

OVBC 2024 Election Reform Oregon Vaues ND Beliefs Center. https://oregonvbc.org/election-reform/