Oregon Legislature - HB 2186 friday vote likely

May 7, 10:02 AMPortland Civil Rights ExaminerDianna Cotter

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Oregon State Capitol  Oregon.gov

As those following the insanity in the Oregon Legislature know, House Bill 2186 A Engrossed is scheduled for a floor debate and vote today. According to the House Clerks Office, and a glance at the floor schedule reveal, it is unlikely that the bill will be heard today. There are a total of 27 House Bills that were carried over from May 6th to today, and those bills will be considered first. The Clerk's office reports that the House Bill Schedule will be cleared tomorrow, meaning that they will hear and vote upon every bill to clear this legislative schedule for this session of the Legislature. This is concerning because, of necessity, debate will be more limited on all of the bills scheduled.

Between today and tomorrow, 38 Bills are scheduled to be debated and voted upon. Based on an 8 hour work day, that's approximately 42 minutes of debate and voting on each bill. For this reason If nothing else, HB 2186 should be voted down;  Oregonians and legislators should take the time to assess the real impact this bill will have on the lives and pocketbooks of the citizens of this state.That impact will be huge.

House Bill 2186 is a draconian and encompassing piece of legislation. Should it pass, it will cost Oregonians untold millions, and an untold number of job losses. If the Legislature acts in good conscious, this legislation in it's present form will die on the floor tomorrow.

Among HB 2186 provisions are sections that will impact Oregonians for decades to come.

Section 3
(1) The Environmental Quality Commission may adopt by rule standards and requirements described in this section to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

(2)(a) The commission may adopt low carbon fuel standards for Gasoline, diesel and fuels used as a substitute for gasoline or diesel.

This translates to Ethanol Fuel. It means converting food items like corn into fuel, increasing the cost of food and decreasing imports to food importing Nations such as India. Not to mention this simple fact; it takes a lot of corn to make Ethanol. An acre of U.S. corn yields about 7,110 pounds of corn for processing into 328 gallons of ethanol according to research done by David Pimentel of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and reported by Roger Segelken. However, planting, growing and harvesting requires about 140 gallons of fossil fuels costing $347 per acre, translating into food for 7 people for a year. It is nothing if not ironic that a bill being sold as one to reduce greenhouse gases actually increases greenhouse gas as well as taking more energy to produce than it yields in energy created by putting it into your fuel tank. This bill will actually increase greenhouse gas.

It is simple hypocrisy to say otherwise. This bill will accomplish the opposite of it's stated goals.

Section 3 (4)(a) is targeted at the Trucking industry which is already having a very difficult time in this poor economy, and many independent truckers are very close to being out of business just because of the 6.2% decline in GDP. Now comes this bill which will require an industry wide retro-fit in order to continue in business. From aerodynamics to tire pressure, this draconian bill is absolutely out of touch with reality. Section 4(a) requires retro-fitting medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks “to reduce aerodynamic drag and otherwise reduce greenhouse gas emissions from those trucks”.

To call this expensive is a huge understatement, and at a time when the trucking industry in Oregon is experiencing a very difficult economic downturn; forcing them either into debt or deeper into debt. A significant number will simply go out of business, and their employees will go onto the unemployment line. At a bare minimum the cost of shipping in Oregon will skyrocket. These costs always end up coming out of the pockets of consumers, and everything needing to be shipped anywhere in the state will become more expensive overnight. Jobs will most certainly be lost, just what Oregon needs with an unemployment rate now over 12%.

Section 3 ( 8) will adopt restrictions on engine use by parked commercial vehicles, and by commercial ships while at port, and require ports to provide alternatives to engine use such as electric power.

Oregon gets about 40% of its electricity from Coal. This bill, HB 2186 has a provision in it that will allow SB 80, the Senate’s Cap and Trade Bill, to be attached to it which will hamstring the single Coal Plant in Oregon, and increase the cost of Electricity and Natural gas by what is estimated to be as high as 50%. This might just make the Port of Portland so expensive, shippers stop using the port; another industry that will die, putting thousands onto the Oregon Unemployment lines. Not to mention increasing again the costs of shipping by an untold amount.

It is nothing if not disturbing to consider that such legislation, which is guaranteed to cost some Oregonians their jobs, is going to get so little consideration on the floor of the House. Do our legislators care so little for the working person, and the meaning of that lost job to that person’s family? Is the State of Oregon even considering how to pay for unemployment insurance for what could be 20% of Oregon’s population? At what point will residents and businesses leave the state because of this? If the point is to reduce business in Oregon, and reduce productivity through legislation, then this bill will be a resounding success. If it is meant to impact greenhouse gases by the elimination of jobs, and increase the welfare rolls, it is fantastic.

There is still time to contact your legislator and let them know this bill is utterly unacceptable. 

To find your local representative, a District Map can be found at the link. The contact information for each legislator can be found here: Oregon State Representatives.