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Hello Friends,
Cap & Trade During the Short Session.
In 2010, Oregonians approved the “short thirty-five day session” in even numbered years.
The Daily Astorian supported Measure 71 but gave a profound warning:
"The realities of modern life and politics make regular, annual sessions of the Legislature a practical necessity...A vote for Measure 71 must be made with the recognition that in giving the Legislature an added opportunity to do good, voters are also handing lawmakers another opportunity to do mischief," said the editorial board.
Obviously, the Daily Astorian’s prediction came true. In 2016, in the short session, the Democrat Super Majority passed SB 1547, a gut and stuff bill, that allowed PGE and Pacificorp Electric Utilities the opportunity to sell Oregon coal generated electricity until the year 2035.
In the 2020 short session, this same Super Majority is now worried about Oregon’s carbon footprint, so they have introduced SB 1530 and SB 1574 to reduce CO2 output, while still allowing the utilities to generate electricity with coal.
The “stated” goal of these two bills is to reduce our carbon footprint and then, hopefully, other states will follow.
The real purpose of these bills is to punish your use of fossil fuels by taxing any source that generates more than 25000 metric tons of CO2. This, of course, includes your natural gas for heating and the fuel you use to propel your vehicle.
In 2019, the same folks who have authored Cap and Swindle, added $3 Billion in NEW taxes for Oregonians including a corporate sales tax that will raise over $ 1 Billion. Most of these costs will be passed on to you.
In a recent hearing about this bill, a gentleman asked why there was an emergency clause and why could it not be referred to the people for a vote.
The Chair of the Committee, Senator Michael Dembrow, stated that “We have been sent here to craft legislation that is broad, balanced, and full of compromise”. I must admit that the bill is broad, it will cost all Oregonians. The supposed concessions in the bill, provided to all the “winners” is at the expense of the losers that were chosen by a select few people. The bill is certainly full of something, but I do not think the correct word is compromise.
This bill, over its’ lifetime, will transfer billions in wealth, your wealth, with no significant impact to the climate. It will bind us to other states by contracts we will not be able to have undone. Those contracts will be written by unelected bureaucrats that have no responsibility to the voters.
The legislation was introduced in mid-January, was amended twice before it was presented to committee on the 4th of February and is to be passed from committee on the 11th of February without a single “expert” testifying to the efficacy of the bill.
Over $200M will be taken from the tri-county area in the first year, with that dollar amount going up exponentially in the following years. Who will be able to afford a gas hike of $.22/gal in the first year?
Let the mischief begin.
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Yours truly,
Senator Alan Olsen
Senate District 20
Email: Sen.AlanOlsen@oregonlegislature.gov
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1720
District Phone: 503-266-4599
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-425, Salem, OR 97301
District Address: 675 Northwest 2nd St., Canby, OR 97013
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/olsen
Senator Olsen's Committees:
Senate Committee On Veterans and Emergency Preparedness - Chair
Senate Committee On Environment and Natural Resources - Vice-Chair
Senate Committee On Business and General Government
Joint Committee On Carbon Reduction
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