Environment Oregon’s 2025 legislative agenda

We envision a greener Oregon: one that protects more places where nature can thrive, and offers us and our children a greater opportunity to live healthier, more enriching lives. Through our research, public education, advocacy, litigation and action, we advance policies and practices that put our state and our country on a better path.

Here are our legislative priorities for 2025.

Putting wildlife over waste

Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute the environment and harm wildlife for hundreds of years. Plastic pollution is creating an environmental disaster for ocean wildlife: plastic and other marine debris kills millions of sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals every year. It’s time to move beyond single-use plastic by getting rid of the most harmful waste, and stopping the use of things we truly don’t need.

That’s why Environment Oregon supports:

• Updating Oregon’s bag law and eliminating more wasteful single-use plastics
  In 2019, Oregon passed the “Sustainable Shopping Initiative” to phase out plastic film grocery bags. However, grocery stores and restaurants are still allowed to provide plastic film bags to customers, as long as they are “reusable.” This has led to thicker plastic bags being handed out at check out, with no evidence that they are being reused. Senate Bill 551 would phase out all plastic film bags at checkout. This bill would also phase out single-use plastic toiletries at lodging establishments and add plastic utensils and condiments to our existing “upon request” laws.
  
• Defending the Recycling Modernization Act
  The Oregon legislature passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in 2021. This law will modernize Oregon’s recycling system, ensure responsible end markets for recyclables, bring producers in to start bearing some of the costs of the system and bring recycling to even more Oregonians. These big, important changes will be going into effect on July 1, 2025, and we will be working to ensure it launches successfully and on time. 
• Protecting our waterways from microplastic fibers
  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, microfibers are the most prevalent type of microplastic found in the environment. This is because the majority of our clothing is now made from plastics and other synthetic materials like polyester, rayon, nylon, acrylic and fleece. Cleaning these textiles in a washing machine releases millions of microfibers into wastewater infrastructure that treatment plants are unable to fully filter out, so they end up in our environment. Senate Bill 526 will begin to address this problem by requiring a microfiber filter be added to new washing machines, much like lint filters in dryers, that will prevent millions of microfibers from becoming pollution. 
• Restricting so-called “chemical recycling” facilities 
  So-called “chemical recycling” is a false solution to our plastics problem as these facilities burn plastic waste rather than really recycling. This exacerbates climate change and distracts from real solutions like reducing plastic production and transitioning away from single-use plastics. House Bill 2960 aims to restrict these facilities in Oregon.

Preventing food waste

We waste too much food in Oregon– almost 1 million tons of food went uneaten in 2022 alone. That would fill enough garbage trucks to line up along I-5 from the Northern to the Southern borders of Oregon almost three times. About one third of that uneaten food ends up in landfills where it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Given the amount of time, resources and labor it takes to produce our food, the last thing we should do is toss it in the trash, when it could be used to feed Oregonians or enrich our soil. House Bill 3018 would standardize food labeling practices to reduce consumer confusion, and require large food waste generators to responsibly dispose of wasted food using alternative methods like composting, rather than sending it to the landfill.

Protecting Oregon’s ocean

Our ocean and coast boast immense ecosystems like kelp forests, tidepools and underwater seagrass meadows. These areas contain wildlife like migrating gray whales, nesting puffins and runs of salmon. Unfortunately, these environments are imperiled by the threats of climate change, plastic pollution and marine debris, development and more. We need to prioritize solutions that make them more resilient to these stressors.

That’s why Environment Oregon supports:

• Safeguarding Oregon’s underwater forests
  Eelgrass meadows, which line the bottom of our estuaries and are an important refuge for crabs, juvenile fish and seabirds, are suffering. More needs to be done to address this problem. Environment Oregon is working with the Oregon Ocean Alliance to pass a proposed bill that would to create more collaboration between state agencies, conservation organizations, coastal communities and tribes to address eelgrass loss, set conservation targets and develop a plan to ensure the long term health of these critical areas.
• Bolstering rocky habitat
  Oregon’s coastline and rocky habitats are awe-inspiring. From Coquille Point to Haystack Rock, these areas make the perfect home for millions of nesting seabirds, like puffins and oystercatchers, as well as for seals and sea lions who love to rest on the beach. The intertidal areas we have are a paradise too. Imagine sea stars and anemones clinging to slippery rocks, octopuses gliding between tidepools and crabs and sand dollars coating sandy areas. Right now, these special places and wildlife are supported through Oregon’s Rocky Habitat Management Strategy. This Strategy is a critical way to protect ocean ecosystems and rocky habitat in Oregon. Unfortunately, it’s under-resourced and underfunded. We support a proposed bill that would further invest in our rocky habitats to help safeguard the future of our coastal ecosystems, community stewardship of these special places, and protect the incredible wildlife that call them ocean home.

Reconnecting nature

Oregon’s wildlife is facing a crisis—fragmented habitats are forcing animals to risk their lives crossing busy highways in search of food, shelter, and mates. Every year, countless animals, from majestic elk to vulnerable species like frogs and salamanders, are killed on our roads, disrupting ecosystems and putting drivers at risk. But there’s hope. Wildlife crossings are a proven solution, reducing collisions and reconnecting habitats so animals can move safely. Environment Oregon supports securing more funding for these vital projects across the state.

Save the bees

Bees are dying at alarming rates. Franklin’s bumblebee hasn’t been seen in Oregon since 2006, and Western bumblebee populations have dropped 90% in 20 years. Pesticides, especially neonics, are a major cause—damaging bees’ brains, impairing navigation, and reducing reproduction. Lawmakers could make neonics a restricted-use pesticide by passing House Bill 2679 in 2025 to protect these vital pollinators. Bees support 90% of wild flowering plants, our ecosystems, and foods like marionberries, apples and potatoes. This is our chance to join 12 other states in protecting bees and other pollinators.

Support our state parks

Over 50 million people visit Oregon’s incredible state parks each year. And it’s no wonder, our state parks are amazing, featuring rugged coastlines, lush forests, high deserts, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls — with recreational opportunities for hikers, anglers and every level of outdoor enthusiast. But inadequate and unreliable funding is taking a toll: Visitors face worn-down trails, neglected facilities, and too few rangers to keep parks clean and safe. We’re calling on the Oregon legislature to secure robust, stable funding to better support our state parks.

Clear air, healthy communities

Gas-powered lawn mowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws and other garden equipment generate a large amount of pollution and noise. In 2020, gas powered lawn & garden equipment emitted an estimated 374 tons of harmful “fine particulate” air pollution– an amount equivalent to the pollution emitted by 4 million typical cars over the course of a year. Environment Oregon supports creating an incentive to encourage residents and/or businesses to switch from gas powered equipment to cleaner, quieter electric alternatives.

Go Solar Oregon

Every year, enough sunlight shines on America to provide 100 times more power than we need, but we’re only capturing a tiny percent of it. Harnessing more of the sun’s energy is an important tool in our clean energy toolbox, so we can have cleaner air, a more stable climate, more resilient communities and a brighter future. Environment Oregon supports policies that encourage the growth of solar in Oregon, especially rooftop solar and community solar projects.

Clean energy homes 

We have the ability to harness clean, abundant energy from the sun, the wind and the earth, and to fully repower our society with 100 percent renewable sources. We support policies in Oregon that further encourage a shift away from burning fossil fuels in our residential and commercial buildings and power our homes and businesses with clean energy.

The cleanest energy: efficiency & conservation

Improving energy efficiency saves energy, lowers bills, makes homes and workplaces more comfortable and reduces pollution. For all these reasons, reducing energy waste should be the first fuel we turn to.