May 7, 2009—Oregon House of Representatives Approves Bill to Protect Oregonians from Volatile Fuel Prices and Reduce Global Warming Pollution

HB 2186 includes provisions for lower-carbon fuels, less idling by trucks and ships, improved truck aerodynamics, auto efficiency solutions for consumers and more

SALEM, Ore.—May 7, 2009— By a vote of 32-28, the Oregon House of Representatives today approved a major step forward in protecting Oregon consumers and businesses while reducing Oregon’s global warming impact. House Bill 2186 gives the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) the authority to pursue smart, cost-effective approaches to meet Oregon’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. 

“This legislation will help Oregon break free from its near total dependence on imported oil while leading us to a lower-carbon future,” said Oregon Environmental Council deputy director Chris Hagerbaumer. “By diversifying our fuel mix and employing smart strategies to reduce fuel consumption, we’ll save citizens money and reduce our contribution to global warming.”

House Bill 2186 gives the EQC the authority to go through a rigorous rulemaking process to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a variety of key sources, including reducing the carbon content of Oregon’s transportation fuel through a low-carbon fuel standard, improving aerodynamics in trucks, reducing wasteful idling by trucks and ships, ensuring replacement tires don’t result in greater greenhouse gas emissions than original tires, preventing tampering with emission control systems, and encouraging substitutes for high-potency greenhouse gases in certain products.

A low-carbon fuel standard (recently adopted in California and under consideration in several other states) would require providers of transportation fuels to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the fuel mix they sell into Oregon by 10% by 2020, allowing fuel providers to choose how to reduce emissions while meeting consumer demand. To achieve this, providers could, for example, blend more low-carbon biodiesel into diesel products, purchase credits from electric utilities supplying low-carbon electrons to electric passenger vehicles, diversify into low-carbon hydrogen, and more.

“House Bill 2186 is exactly the kind of legislation we need to grow Oregon’s clean energy economy,” said Dave Chen, managing director of Equilibrium Capital Group LLC. “For example, a low-carbon fuel standard will attract such enterprises to Oregon as biomass-to-fuel facilities and electric car companies.”

Freight hauling is responsible for about 20 percent of U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the EQC is allowed under the bill to promulgate rules that would require heavy-duty long-haul trucks to improve their aerodynamics. Greater fuel efficiency results in less global warming and air pollution and saves money on fuel. Rules would allow for a phased-in schedule and exempt the industry if financing is not available. Similarly, the EQC can now adopt rules to restrict unnecessary idling by trucks and ships. Necessary idling would not be impacted.

Under HB 2186, EQC can adopt standards for motor vehicle replacement tires. With the initial purchase of a vehicle, drivers get highly fuel-efficient tires, but replacement tires are often not up to par, leading to more fuel consumption and more global warming pollution. New standards would ensure energy-efficient replacement tires that would result in average savings for drivers of about $33 per year. Energy-efficient tires are as safe and last as long as conventional tires. Certain tires and vehicles would be exempted.

Substituting safe, cost-effective alternatives for the high-potency greenhouse gases found in some consumer products (such as certain refrigerants and propellants) is also addressed by HB 2186. Regulations would apply only to high-potency greenhouse gases, which trap heat hundreds or thousands of times more than carbon dioxide.

About the Oregon Environmental Council
The Oregon Environmental Council safeguards what Oregonians love about Oregon – clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. For 40 years we’ve been a champion for solutions to protect the health of every Oregonian and the health of the place we call home. Our vision for Oregon includes solving global warming, protecting kids from toxics, cleaning up our rivers, building sustainable economies, and ensuring healthy food and local farms. Find out more at www.oeconline.org.