Legislature Passes Historic Climate Resilience Package
June 24, 2023
SALEM - With bipartisan support, the Oregon legislature voted Saturday to pass the historic Climate Resilience Package (HB 3409 and HB 3630,) which includes legislation to ensure our homes and buildings protect families from extreme weather, reduce pollution, and curb rising energy costs.
Spanning more than a dozen critical policies, it’s the most comprehensive climate action package in Oregon history. Collectively, the Climate Resilience Package will help our state to leverage up to $1 billion in federal dollars, support healthy, affordable, resilient communities, improve air quality, and create family-wage jobs across Oregon. The bills now head to the Governor’s desk.
“The Climate Resilience Package delivers the bold and broad action that the climate crisis demands and our communities sorely need,” said Nora Apter, Climate Program Director for Oregon Environmental Council. “Whether it’s record-setting temperatures or devastating wildfires, Oregonians know all too well that the climate crisis has already arrived. This package gives us the tools to not only meet the moment and keep our communities safe in our homes and buildings, but also to address the climate crisis head-on and invest in a healthier, more resilient future for all Oregonians.”
A centerpiece of the package is the Resilient, Efficient Buildings legislation, which tackles Oregon’s second largest source of climate pollution — our homes and buildings. The legislation updates state building codes to reflect Oregon’s climate goals, ensures new buildings are constructed more efficiently to reduce energy bills and improve indoor air quality, and helps to maximize financial incentives for installing heat pumps and energy efficient appliances — especially for low income and climate-vulnerable households. The legislation sets a state goal of 500,000 heat pumps by 2030.
“Home is where we take care of each other, and home protects us from heat waves, drought, ice storms, or wildfires. Every family needs a home that stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” said Joel Iboa, executive director of Oregon Just Transition Alliance. “The Climate Resilience Package will help make sure all of our communities can access cleaner, more affordable energy. This is a major victory for the frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis, including people of color, low-income families, people with disabilities, and people in rural areas.”
Oregon Just Transition Alliance is part of a broad Building Resilience coalition of more than 50 organizations that supports the bills, including Unite Oregon, the Oregon Food Bank, Climate Solutions, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregon Business For Climate, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, and more.
“The breadth of this coalition is a direct reflection of the interconnected ways that our communities experience the climate crisis,” said Khanh Le, executive director of Unite Oregon. “Creating meaningful and equitable climate action policy is about worker and immigrant rights. It’s about racial justice. It’s about health equity. The Climate Resilience package is rooted in those principles and will build a more resilient, more just future for Oregonians in every corner of the state.”
Also part of the coalition are dozens of Oregon business owners, who have noted the importance of securing unprecedented federal funding to boost local economies and weather any future recession. The $90 million investment is expected to bring home up to $1 billion in federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act.
“This is a sound and substantive investment in Oregon businesses and our climate,” said Meredith Connolly, Oregon Director for Climate Solutions. “The Climate Resilience Package ensures Oregon can secure our fair share of federal climate dollars, which will help businesses in every industry across our state. I applaud lawmakers for rising to the occasion and seizing the opportunity to make our economy and our state more resilient.”
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More about the Resilient, Efficient Buildings bills:
The Resilient, Efficient Buildings bills are housed under HB 3409 in the Climate Resilience Package. They include:
(Healthy Heating and Cooling for All) Help Oregonians maximize rebates and incentives to purchase and install heat pumps, prioritizing low-income and climate-vulnerable households. Sets a target of installing 500,000 new heat pumps statewide by 2030. (Formerly SB 868)
(Build Smart from the Start) Ensure new buildings are constructed efficiently to save Oregonians' money on energy bills, improve indoor air quality, and reduce climate pollution. (Formerly SB 869)
(Building Performance Standards) Drive energy efficiency improvements and pollution reduction for our largest commercial buildings through flexible requirements and financial incentives (Formerly SB 870)
(Smart State Buildings) Reduce climate pollution from state-owned buildings, helping to reach our pollution reduction goals and ensuring our government leads by example. (Formerly SB 871)
A companion bill in HB 3630, formerly HB 3166, will create a one-stop shop for accessing energy incentives, helping Oregon families understand their options and make the right choices for their homes.
About the Building Resilience Coalition:
Building Resilience is a growing, statewide coalition of climate justice and public health, business and labor, faith and frontline communities, environmental, family, and youth organizations, and thousands of individual Oregonians advocating for legislative action to promote healthy, affordable, resilient homes and buildings that run on clean energy. You can view the full coalition list here.
