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Dear friends,
With the ebb and flow of extreme heat, I want to make sure Senate District 4 residents have easy reference to resources to keep you and your families safe this summer. If you don't have air-conditioning or can't afford to turn it on because of high utility costs, there is help! Please see below in this e-bulletin for a list of resources.
We're experiencing more wildfires and heatwaves each year because of climate change, and Oregonians are paying the price. Wildfires and extreme heat are linked to rising utility prices. More Oregonians are losing their homes, their livelihoods, and even their lives to wildfires and extreme heat. Many of these losses are preventable if Oregonians have the right resources and use them. Please be cautious and follow all fire restrictions. There are more than 100 active fires in the state and many of those were human caused. We also can't forget how devastating these fires are for people who depend on the land for their livelihoods — farmers and ranchers are being hit particularly hard.
Below you will find information on:
- Heat Resources
- Session Accomplishments: Environment & Wildfire
- Draft State Wildfire Hazard Map Public Comment Begins
- Oregon Consumer Privacy Act Goes into Effect
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail.
Heat Resources
Stay in the Know:
Sign up for alerts through OR Alert.
Be Aware of risks:
Review the Oregon Health Authority’s guide to preventing heat-related illnesses. Make sure you are taking care of people especially at risk, including infants and young children, people with chronic illnesses, people who are pregnant, those who work outdoors, and seniors.
Affording Air Conditioning:
If you are struggling to pay for air conditioning contact your local health department or locate an air-conditioned shelter in your area. You can also contact Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for help. Learn more about utility bill payment assistance programs from Oregon Housing and Community Services.
Find a Cooling Center:
During heat waves, many communities open cooling centers. You can learn where they are by calling 2-1-1 or 1-866-698-6155 or visiting 211info.org.
Session Accomplishments: Environment & Wildfire
Following the 2024 short Legislative Session, I'm sharing in-depth summaries of bills passed by subject area. Below is a comprehensive listing of accomplishments related to environment & wildfire — by Senate/House bill and in numeric order:
Senate Bills
SB 1545 - Supporting Wildfire Recovery and Home Rebuilding: Approximately 4,000 homesteads were destroyed by wildfires in 2020. Legislation in 2021 allowed county tax collectors to provide property tax relief to destroyed or damaged property. This bill continues this work by authorizing counties to receive a specially assessed value equal to the destroyed homestead's real market value for the 2020-2021 tax year to provide relief for homeowners.
SB 1561 - Establishing the Environmental Restoration Council: In 2018, the State of Oregon filed a lawsuit against Monsanto for polluting Oregon's lands and waterways with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In 2022, the State of Oregon and Monsanto reached a settlement for $689 million, the largest environmental settlement in the state's history. This legislation establishes the Environmental Restoration Council to invest and distribute money from the settlement for environmental remediation projects.
SB 1596 - Right to Repair: This legislation gives Oregon consumers more choices regarding where and how they can repair their devices. SB 1596 requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to make documentation, tools, and parts available to owners or independent repair providers for diagnosing, maintaining, or repairing equipment on fair and reasonable terms. The bill authorizes the Attorney General to investigate violations.
House Bills
HB 4015 - Battery Siting: Battery energy storage systems are composed of individual battery cells that are grouped together in a structure. Utility battery energy storage systems store energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. They provide backup power when those intermittent sources are not available. This legislation cuts red tape by adding battery energy storage systems to the list of energy projects exempt from requiring a separate site certificate if it is within the site or energy generation area of a facility for which a site certificate has been issued. It also allows deferral of regulatory authority to the Energy Facilities Siting Council.
HB 4083 – State Treasury Coal Divestment: The Oregon State Treasury has fiduciary responsibility for managing public investments and securing adequate returns for large funds, such as the Oregon Public Employee Retirement Fund. This legislation aligns Oregon's financial and environmental goals by directing the State Treasurer, in accordance with current statute, to divest — without monetary loss — from funds that support thermal coal companies or funds containing thermal coal companies. The State Treasurer may retain a coal investment if the company demonstrates it is transitioning to clean energy on a reasonable timeline.
HB 4132 - Marine Reserves: A "marine reserve" is an area within coastal waters dedicated to scientific research and conservation. Ocean development and removal of marine life are prohibited in marine reserves. Oregon currently has five marine reserve areas. This legislation directs the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and State Land Board, to develop an adaptive management plan for Oregon's marine reserves.
Draft State Wildfire Hazard Map Public Comment Begins
On July 18, the Department of Forestry and Oregon State University published an online draft version of Wildfire Hazard Map. This online version includes tax lot level hazard categories and will enable your constituents to view their own property’s draft hazard rating. The draft version is available on the Oregon Explorer. This process will also begin the public comment period for the draft map. Public comments can be directed to: hazardmap@odf.oregon.gov.
It is important to note that this draft version is not the final map. The map is still under review and is subject to change due to county feedback, rules, adoption and feedback heard during the public comment period. The final map is scheduled to be published on October 1, 2024. At that point, affected landowners will be notified.
As you view these maps, please remember that only properties that are categorized both as high hazard and located in the wildland-urban interface will be subject to new defensible space and fire hardening codes. The Oregon State Fire Marshal is in charge of defensible space regulations and the Department of Consumer and Business Services Building Codes Division oversees fire hardening codes. Any insurance related information can be found at the Department of Financial Regulation.
Oregon Consumer Privacy Act Goes into Effect
As of July 1, Oregonians have a new and powerful set of consumer privacy rights and protections. The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (OCPA) was signed into law in July 2023, but it did not take effect until now. The new law is the result of the efforts of the Attorney General’s Consumer Privacy Task Force, a group of over 150 experts and stakeholders who met every month for four years, gained insights from Oregon and national business and civic leaders, and studied best-practice models from states around the country.
The OCPA defines personal and biometric data broadly, protects consumer data rights holistically, and holds companies that have access to our data to high standards. The Act also gives consumers control over how businesses use their personal data. It guarantees Oregonians affirmative rights to manage and safeguard their personal data.
Under the OCPA, Oregonians gain important rights over their personal information. The OCPA imposes specific obligations on businesses, including nonprofits. Highlights of the bill include these consumer rights:
- Right to Know — Consumers can get a list of the specific entities that received their personal data.
- Right to Correction — Consumers can edit any inaccuracies in the data about them.
- Right to Deletion — Consumers can delete the data a business has about them.
- Right to Opt Out — Consumers can say no to a business selling, profiling or otherwise using their data for targeted advertising.
- Right to Data Portability — Consumers can get a copy of the personal and sensitive data a business has about them.
- Sensitive Data Protections — Consumers have heightened (“opt in” consent) protections when personal data reveals racial or ethnic background, national origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical condition or diagnosis, sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, crime victim status, or citizenship or immigration status; genetic or biometric data; and precise geolocation data.
- Special Protections for Youth — Youth have heightened protections. Businesses must follow the requirements of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) when processing data of children under 13 years old and "opt in" consent is required for targeted advertising, profiling or sale of the personal data of a youth 13 to 15 years old.
While some businesses have provided these protections voluntarily, OCPA now makes it a legal requirement. Consumers can expect clearer and more tailored privacy notices, and an easy way to contact businesses. The OCPA requires covered businesses to:
- Appropriately limit their collection of personal data;
- Be transparent about how they use and secure that data and obtain consumer consent before collecting sensitive information—such as precise location data, biometric data, and certain health information; and,
- Protect the personal data of children and teens. In addition to permitting a child’s parent or legal guardian to exercise privacy rights on the child’s behalf, businesses must obtain consent before selling the personal data of a consumer under 16 years old or using the consumer’s data for targeted ads or certain types of profiling.
The Act has threshold requirements that not all businesses meet, and it exempts certain industries and data regulated by other privacy frameworks.
While this new law may seem complicated, the Oregon Department of Justice has attempted to simplify it and make it immediately helpful to all Oregon consumers and businesses. More details, as well as FAQ's, handouts and compliance checklists, can be found on the OCPA website.
The Oregon Department of Justice urges anyone who has a concern about a possible violation of their consumer privacy rights to fill out an online privacy complaint form via their website. If consumers have any questions, or aren't sure if their complaint is OCPA related, they should call the DOJ Consumer Hotline at 1-877-877-9392.
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