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Hello Friends:
As we enter the final two weeks of the 2019 Oregon Legislative Session, some major policy bills are coming up for votes in both chambers.
On Monday, HB 2209 calling for safer transport of oil by rail passed the House. This legislation requires railroads to develop detailed safety and environmental response plans for high hazard train routes. The bill also authorizes a fee on railroads to pay for the response in the event of a train derailment or spill.
I supported this legislation because if we are going to have oil trains traveling through our cities and country sides, they should be traveling in the safest possible manner, and if some disaster does occur, we need advance preparation for the fastest and most efficient practical response. The bill passed on a 56-3 vote and now moves to the Senate Chamber.
Monday night we took up HB 2020 the Cap and Trade Carbon Tax bill. I believe dealing with climate change is the moral imperative of our time as we need to arrest the spectrum of greenhouse gas emission, global climate change, and ensure that the earth remains inhabitable for us and every other living species.
However, HB 2020 is not the answer as it is built on a flawed model. One in which over a hundred amendments have been incapable of resolving and never will, because the amendments alter the bill but not the underlying model. A model that tolerates:
- Allowing polluters to continue to pollute by buying credits
- Leaking Oregon revenues to out-of-state interests
- Excessive fuel costs
- Losses in market competitiveness and rural jobs
- Creating a large, inefficient and expensive bureaucracy to run the program.
Our industries are taking notice of these anti-business bills, and within a month, we had two Oregon lumber mills announce plans to either scale back their operations or close entirely and relocate to a state where natural resource businesses are welcome. I am concerned about the economic impacts that HB 2020 will have on our rural communities, so I voted no. The House did approve the bill on a 36-24 vote and it now moves to the Senate for consideration.
As I write this newsletter, I can hear log truck horns honking as they circle the Capitol building to protest this piece of legislation. The line of log trucks from the House District 31 area stretched more than five miles, and I stand with them in solidarity.
Rep Witt at annual Kiwanis St. Helens Parade
I had a wonderful time last weekend at the annual Kiwanis St. Helens Parade. Great weather and a good turnout for the first parade of the summer. It was terrific to get back to the district and join in the celebration. I’m looking forward to the end of session and spending more time in Columbia County with family, friends and constituents.
Thanks for reading my newsletter,
Brad
email: Rep.BradWitt@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1431
address: 900 Court St NE, H-382, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/witt
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