Oregon Department of Energy at the Capitol

The 2023 Legislative Session is in full swing as we head into March. ODOE policy analysts track every energy-related bill throughout session, which we’ll summarize in an end-of-session report (see our 2021 and 2022 reports). This year, we are tracking at least 45 bills that would assign our agency new work. The bills require us to consider what additional staff or resources might be needed to do new work or administer new programs so we can best inform decision-makers as they review and vote on potential legislation. While only some of these bills will ultimately cross the finish line, we still consider every new program or study that could be assigned to us.

Meanwhile, ODOE has our own bills and we support some other bills that are brought by others. A major theme for the Oregon Department of Energy this year and this legislative session is readiness for the influx of new federal funding for energy programs from both the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. We have two bills that will help our agency not only prepare for that funding, but also help us better connect with communities and individuals. Read more about Senate Bill 852 and House Bill 3166 on our website.

Another theme for our agency is continuing our existing work, particularly around maintaining our relatively new set of energy incentive programs. Read more about SB 3418, which would extend the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate program on our website. And our agency budget bill, HB 5016, was heard by legislators on February 21-22 and will be up for a public hearing on March 2.

Finally, every legislative session, our expert staff are asked to share their knowledge in informational hearings intended to help legislators and the public better understand a topic for which legislation is expected or forthcoming. So far this session, agency staff have presented 14 times on issues ranging from hydrogen to federal funding opportunities, from our Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to the agency’s budget.