Baker City, Oregon (OTEC) — Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative is partnering with the Baker County Chamber of Commerce to host a public hearing of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction on Monday, Feb. 25, in the cooperative’s public meeting room. The time has not yet been determined.
The Feb. 25 public hearing will be a remote hearing with testimony being offered from Baker City and possibly Newport. The joint committee is hosting four public hearings around the state—in Springfield, Medford, The Dalles and Bend— where Oregonians will be able to voice their opinions and ask questions about the bill.
“I am concerned about the impacts of House Bill 2020 on our local community,” said Baker County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shelly Cutler. “As stated by the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, this bill has significant negative impacts on local businesses and families. Companies such as Ash Grove Cement, Behlen Country and Marvin Wood Products would end up paying higher energy and operating costs, which would result in fewer living-wage jobs.” Oregon lawmakers have formally introduced a proposed cap-and-trade bill to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the current legislative session. House Bill 2020, introduced by the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, would make Oregon the second state in the nation to adopt an economy-wide cap-and-trade system to regulate GHG emissions. HB 2020 builds upon the Clean Energy Jobs bill, an earlier version of cap-and-trade legislation that was considered in both chambers but failed to pass during last session. “We believe this is a significant issue with far-reaching ramifications for all of our member-owners. This bill will affect everyone who uses fossil fuels in their vehicles, homes or their businesses,” said Sandra Ghormley, OTEC’s director of member and program services. “We are grateful to partner with the chamber to host this at OTEC. We hope people will come and make their voices heard.”