Chris Edwards
Senate environment committee chairman Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, speaks Wednesday at a hearing about legislation to extend Oregon's low-carbon fuel standard. The bill passed 3-2, and will now go to the Senate floor for a full vote.
(Ian K. Kullgren/The Oregonian)
SALEM -- Members of the Senate environment committee approved a bill to extend Oregon's clean fuel standard Wednesday, sending it to the Senate floor for a full vote.
The 3-2 vote came down along party lines, with Democratic Sens. Chris Edwards, Michael Dembrow and Floyd Prozanski voting yes. Republican Sens. Alan Olsen and Chuck Thomsen voted no.
A top priority for Democrats this session, Senate Bill 324 would extend Oregon's low-carbon fuel standard until 2025. It seeks to make Oregon a leader in reducing carbon emissions by setting an increasingly cleaner standard for fuel distributors.
Related story: 4 things you should know about Oregon's low-carbon fuel standard
But the bill has become entangled with other political controversies, including the scandal surrounding Gov. John Kitzhaber and first lady Cylvia Hayes. Last week, Hayes confirmed she collected $118,000 in previously undisclosed payments from an out-of-state clean-energy group while she was advising the governor on clean-energy policy.
Thomsen, R-Hood River, said at Wednesday's meeting that the scandal has created a "deep mistrust" of the clean fuels program among the public.
Also Wednesday afternoon, the editorial board for The Oregonian/OregonLive became the first in the state to call for Kitzhaber's resignation. Last week, the governor said he would not consider stepping down.
Democrats on the committee said the bill would position Oregon as a leader in the global effort to fight climate change.
"What the West Coast of the U.S. does matters not just to the country, but to the world," said Edwards, a Eugene Democrat who chairs the committee. "To me, this is a win-win."
The clean fuel standard was first approved in 2009. It began taking effect this past Sunday but will expire at the end of the legislative session if lawmakers don't extend it.
A floor vote in the Senate hasn't been scheduled yet.
-- Ian K. Kullgren
ikullgren@oregonian.com
503-294-4006; @IanKullgren