Phot credit Pok Rei
Daniel Scotton
Executive Director
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
March 10th, 2025
Testimony supporting House Bill 3681
Chair Lively and members of the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment:
My name is Daniel Scotton and I am writing as Executive Director of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now. SOCAN is a grassroots climate organization of some 2,000 Southern Oregonians. We are concerned about the climate crisis and seek federal, state and local action to address it.
I am testifying today in support of HB 3681, as it represents common sense process changes to expedite the state’s transition to a clean energy grid.
HB 3681 addresses several of the barriers faced by the State to implement its ambitious clean energy goals. These being:
A. Provides adaptability in project timelines through minor site adjustments and extensions of up to three years for construction commencement or completion deadlines;
B. Streamlines the approval process for energy projects; and
C. Changes permitting for high voltage transmission lines, balancing infrastructure needs and land preservation.
These administrative changes will assist clean energy projects in providing renewable energy to Oregonians, and expedite the progress made toward Oregon’s ambitious 100% clean energy mandate. The timeline for the implementation of this mandate can only be accomplished if the process by which clean energy projects are activated is increased. The Rapid Energy Policy Evaluation and Analysis Toolkit (REPEAT) project found that, “… [the] IRA could cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by roughly one billion tons per year in 2030 and reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 6.3 billion tons of CO2-equivalent over the decade (2023-2032).1 That outcome depends on more than doubling the historical pace of electricity transmission expansion over the last decade in order to interconnect new renewable resources at sufficient pace and meet growing demand from electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other electrification” [1].
The process improvements suggested by HB3681 showcase Oregon’s continued commitment to renewable energy without compromising core environmental principles. This sentiment was echoed in 2023 by the Sightline Institute who urged for action by stating, “With 2023 on track to become the hottest year on record (it was the hottest year on record, only beaten in turn by 2024), the Northwest needs to move fast to approve critical transmission projects, without surrendering its tools to block dirty or unjust energy proposals” [2].
SOCAN urges your support for HB 3681.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Scotton
803 North Main St.
Ashland, OR
[email protected]
541-890-0504
Sources Cited:
[1] Jenkins, J.D., Farbes, J., Jones, R., Patankar, N., Schivley, G., “Electricity Transmission is Key to Unlock the Full Potential of the Inflation Reduction Act,” REPEAT Project, Princeton, NJ, September 2022. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7106176
[2] Moore, Emily. “Is the Permitting Process for Transmission Lines Really Broken?” Sightline Institute, 9 Nov. 2023, www.sightline.org/2023/11/09/is-the-permitting-process-for-transmission-lines-really-broken/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
