Power to the People: Legislative Wins for Oregon's Low-Income Households
Community Energy Project’s Advocacy team has been hard at work supporting several bills this legislative session. We are thrilled to report on the latest bills that will be signed into law as continue to advocate for vulnerable communities and their access to clean, affordable energy.The POWER Act (HB 3546) has passed both the Oregon House and Senate and will be signed into law by Governor Kotek!
This bill will provide important guardrails and parameters for data centers, cryptocurrency, and other large load users around their use and impact on Oregon’s electric grid. It will ensure that residential ratepayers will no longer shoulder the cost for these large load users’ electricity use, and allow utilities to plan for increased energy reliability in the future for all Oregonians.
CEP is proud to have worked alongside our energy advocacy partners to contribute to this huge win for Oregonians! Read more about what this bill means from our partners at Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB).The FAIR Energy Act (HB 3179) has officially passed the legislature and will be signed into law by the governor! This exciting news comes near the close of the 2025 long session, and is a huge win for residential ratepayers! Check out a quote from our Policy & Advocacy Manager, Greer Klepacki, and the press release from our partners at CUB.
The Oregon Energy Assistance Program (OEAP) (HB 3792) has also passed and into will be signed into law by the governor! Prior to its passage, CEP has reached out to leadership in the Ways & Means committee to reiterate the importance of this program for low-income Oregonians and explain that the additional $10 million funding ask is necessary to continue funding this vital program which allows low-income Oregonians access to funds to help pay their utility bills. Thankfully, the Oregon legislature listened to advocates and community members and has chosen to continue funding the program.
Grid Enhancing Technologies (HB 3336) passed the legislature as well! This bill allows for much needed and overdue upgrades and repairs of Oregon’s aging electric grid.