Latest news with #OregonSenate
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
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Oregon bill shielding utility rate increases from Big Tech passes Senate
PORTLAND, Ore. () – A bill passed the Oregon Senate on Tuesday that would shield Oregonians from paying higher utility costs to cover electricity usage by Big Tech facilities in the state. House Bill 3546, known as the Protecting Oregonians with Energy Responsibility (POWER) Act, would hold companies behind facilities such as data centers or cryptocurrency operations, responsible for their own utility bills, the Democratic Majority Office announced in a press release. The bill would establish a separate pricing system for electricity users that use more than 20 megawatts – which is roughly the same amount used to power a small city, the lawmakers explained. Neighbors, PBOT fed up with NW 13th outdoor plaza 'Data centers play an important role in our growing technology needs in the United States, and they need to pay their fair share for infrastructure required to meet their energy needs, rather than passing the costs on to residential ratepayers,' said Senator Janeen Sollman (D – Hillsboro, Forest Grove & Rock Creek), a chief sponsor of the measure in the Senate. 'Large energy users have the potential to place significant strain on the grid, especially in regions where energy capacity is already stretched thin.' Since 2021, electric rates from some power companies have risen by nearly 50% and thousands of families have had their power shut off because they could not afford the bill, the Democratic office said, noting large industrial users pay about two cents per kilowatt hour, while households are charged more than triple that rate. 'The cost to serve certain large energy users is spilling on to other ratepayers,' said Rep. Pam Marsh (D – Southern Jackson County), a chief sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives. 'This bill will help state regulators assign these high costs to the data centers and crypto mining entities that are consuming the energy.' Oregon hurdler somersaults over finish line to win state title 'Traditionally, growth in energy demand was relatively balanced across all users, justifying roughly equal distribution of costs. But the explosion of huge technology facilities has upended that traditional metric,' Marsh explained in a for the bill. 'Without intervention, the costs created by the disproportionate demand of big energy users will be borne by residential consumers who are already struggling.' 'The bill helps protect everyday users, like families and small businesses, from paying the costs that big businesses are running up,' Sen. Deb Patterson (D – Salem), a cosponsor of HB 3546, added in a statement after the bill's passage. 'Household budgets are stretched far enough as they are. They shouldn't be covering corporate costs, too.' The POWER Act passed the Senate in an 18-12 vote, moving the bill back to the Oregon House of Representatives for final passage. ICE used 'deceptive' practices to detain asylum seeker at Portland courthouse, attorneys say In written testimony against the bill, Rep. David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford) raised concerns that the bill would discourage tech companies from growing their presence in Oregon. In his letter – which was supported by industry advocates such as the Data Center Coalition along with unions IBEW 48, IBEW 280 and UA 290 – Brock Smith said, 'data centers strengthen grid reliability through infrastructure investments and help stabilize residential electricity rates by providing consistent demand. The current proposed legislation, with its misaligned regulations, threatened these widespread community benefits and could discourage future development that supports our digital economy.' The bill comes as large technology companies are facing two growing demands to raise their energy supply for artificial intelligence and data centers, while meeting long-term goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, as reported by the Associated Press. AI uses 'vast amounts of energy,' said, noting a 2024 report from the United States Department of Energy estimated that the electricity needed for data centers in the U.S. tripled in the last decade and is anticipated to double or triple again in 2028, when tech companies could consumer 12% of the nation's energy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bend man who threatened mass shooting was armed with AR-15, police say
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Bend man is in custody after he threatened to carry out a mass shooting over the weekend, police say. Authorities say 36-year-old Nathaniel Benjamin Wright told a family member he was planning to execute a mass shooting following a family argument. The threat was reported to Bend police on Friday afternoon. Union Gospel Mission victim count jumps to 12, stabbing suspect ID'd When law enforcement responded to Wright's home near 3000 NE Waller Ave., officers said they saw him walk from his home to a white truck parked in the driveway, 'carrying an AR-15-style rifle and a duffel bag and wearing a ballistic vest.' Police stopped Wright at gunpoint, took him into custody, and took him to St. Charles Bend. Oregon Senate passes bump stock ban, allows expansion of gun-free zones 'Officers searched Wright's vehicle and home, and applied for and were granted an Extreme Risk Protection Order, which is a court order preventing a person at risk of hurting themselves or another person from having or getting access to deadly weapons like firearms,' according to Bend authorities. Investigators say Wright was known to own multiple firearms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oregon Senate passes bump stock ban, allows expansion of gun-free zones
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A gun safety bill is making its way through the Oregon legislature, which would ban bump stocks and allow local governments to decide whether to allow firearms in public meeting spaces. The Oregon Senate passed — the Community Safety Firearms Act — on Thursday, which would create new crimes for possessing bump stocks — or devices that turn semi-automatic guns fully automatic. Under the bill, local governments would also have the authority to limit concealed handgun license holders from bringing firearms in public buildings where official meetings are held, such as city halls. 'Something was not right': Oregon Coast safari park received complaints for nearly a decade Following the bill's passage, Oregon Senate Democrats said the legislation marks 'action for community safety.' 'Being elected to serve means guarding the people who put their trust in us: protecting their safety, defending their rights, and leading with humility and common sense,' said Senator Anthony Broadman (D –Bend). 'As a father, a hunter, a responsible gun owner, and an Oregon Senator, I know Senate Bill 243 honors that responsibility.' 'Rapid-fire activators are simply tools of mass destruction and do not belong in our communities,' added Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D –Eugene & Springfield), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chief sponsor of the bill. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'It's time to call these devices what they are. They give legal firearms the same dangerous abilities as machine guns,' said Senator Lisa Reynolds (D –Portland). 'If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a machine gun.' The bill passed the Senate in a 17-12 vote along party lines, with the Oregon Senate Republican Caucus calling the legislation 'deeply flawed.' 'The people who follow the law deserve policies that respect them. The people who break the law deserve consequences,' said Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles). 'Senate Bill 243 targets responsible Oregonians, not criminals. That's a mistake we've made before. We should learn from it, not double down on it.' Candlelight vigil marks 15th anniversary of Kyron Horman's disappearance According to the Senate Republican Caucus, 'there is no credible evidence' that banning bump stocks will reduce gun violence. 'This bill does not address the core issues driving gun violence in our communities,' said Senator Bruce Starr (R-Dundee). 'It doesn't target criminals. It doesn't invest in mental health or illegal gun trafficking enforcement. Instead, it creates new penalties for responsible gun owners who already follow the law, store their firearms safely, and have undergone background checks.' The Republican caucus noted they offered their own proposals in a minority report, which was rejected by Democrats. Kohr Explores: Salmon fishing season arrives in Oregon The proposals from Republicans included repealing , a bill from 2021 that allows school districts and local governments to decide whether to allow concealed handgun license holders to bring firearms into public buildings. Other proposals from the Republican caucus included preventing people who have been charged with drug-related misdemeanors from owning guns along with another provision requiring participants in deflection programs to transfer their firearms to a law enforcement agency, a gun dealer or a third party until their deflection program is completed. After passing the Senate on Thursday, the bill moves to the Oregon House of Representatives, where the bill will have its first reading on June 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bill that would end statute of limitations for Oregon child sex abuse suits moves ahead
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A bill that would allow sexual assault survivors to report the abuse at any time has cleared the Oregon House. A group of state lawmakers unanimously approved after its third reading on Thursday. If it receives further support from the Oregon Senate and Gov. Tina Kotek, it could immediately remove the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse. Downtown Salem will nix free street parking later this summer The office of Rep. Annessa Hartman, one of the bill's chief sponsors, reported that law gives adult survivors just five years before they're able to file a civil complaint against their abusers. Those who are underage at the time of the abuse can wait up to five years or whenever they turn 40, depending on which comes later. But according to officials, experts have determined 52 is the average age for people to report the sexual assault they experienced as children. 'For far too long, survivors have been silenced by arbitrary deadlines that ignore the complex reality of trauma,' Rep. Hartman said in a statement. 'Today, we've said loud and clear: we believe you, we support you, and we refuse to let time be your abuser's greatest ally.' Gov. Kotek signed a . The passage of House Bill 3632 increased the statute of limitations for prosecuting first-degree sex crimes from 12 years to 20 years for adult survivors. For child survivors, the threshold was either increased to 20 years or whenever the individual turns 30, depending on which happens later. Historic lawsuit filed against big oil companies for Washington mother's heat dome death If Oregon were to pass HB 3582 as well, Rep. Hartman's office noted it would join 19 other states and the federal government in eliminating the statute of limitations for survivors of child sex abuse. The Oregon Senate read the bill for the first time on Thursday. It has since been referred to the rules committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon Republicans say Dems delaying vote on wildfire map repeal to get votes for wildfire funding
A wildfire outside Ukiah in Umatilla County in 2024, part of the Battle Mountain Complex of fires that burned more than 183,000 acres. Gov. Tina Kotek has asked the Oregon Legislature for more than a year to find more, stable funding to fight wildfires in the state. (Courtesy of Northwest Interagency Coordination Center) A bill to repeal the state's unpopular Wildfire Hazard Map passed the Oregon Senate unanimously in April, signaling it would be one of the least controversial and most bipartisan bills to pass this session. But that momentum hit unexpected headwinds May 22, when the bill — Senate Bill 83 — landed in the Oregon House's Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment, where Democrats opted to send it to the House Rules Committee, rather than to the House floor for a final vote. The decision to delay a vote on Senate Bill 83 came as a surprise to Republicans on the Committee, who later accused Democrats, House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, and Gov. Tina Kotek of using it as a bargaining chip in negotiations over a wildfire funding proposal that would redirect $1 billion from the state's 'kicker' tax return. That proposal would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in each chamber, meaning at least two Senate Republicans and four House Republicans would need to approve along with all legislative Democrats. 'The speaker has been consistent that we cannot responsibly repeal the wildfire risk maps without also having a clear, workable plan for how we manage wildfire risk in the future, including how we fund that work,' Jill Bakken, Fahey's spokesperson, said in an email. Anca Matica, a Kotek spokesperson, said in an email that 'the legislative branch is the custodian of information regarding bills moving through the legislative process, not the Governor's Office.' Oregon Republicans have long insisted that the kicker — returned to Oregon taxpayers when personal income taxes collected by the state end up at least 2% higher than budgeted — is not to be spent by the Legislature. In a news release May 22, Ashley Kuenzi, communications director for the Oregon Senate Republicans, said the 'spirit of collaboration has seemingly vanished' between Democrats and Republicans on Senate Bill 83. State Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, who supported its passage in the Senate, said in the release it was a 'stunning reversal' and 'clear betrayal.' 'Holding rural Oregonians hostage over votes for future wildfire funding is not only obscene, but disgraceful. Put the damn bill on the floor for a vote!' he said. If passed, Senate Bill 83 would repeal the map produced under a multi-year effort by scientists at state agencies and Oregon State University that show where the highest risk of wildfires are throughout the state. The map provoked backlash from homeowners in some high-risk areas worried about wildfire insurance rates and coverage and potentially having to comply with new building requirements. State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, who carried Senate Bill 83 in the Senate, has been outspoken that the map should be repealed because of unintended consequences, including widespread misinformation about how the map was intended to be used, creating distrust between some property owners and state agencies. In a text, Golden said House Democrats' decision not to move the bill straight to the House floor for a vote is making the repeal of the maps 'more complicated than it needed to be.' 'To me, the smartest path from the start was to unite around map repeal and get it to the Governor's desk to show folks we all put protecting the state ahead of politics,' he said. 'That's what we did in the Senate. Looks like the thinking in the House was different but nobody's told me what it is.' Golden is also behind the proposal just now gaining steam to use $1 billion of the state's anticipated $1.64 billion kicker to fund much needed wildfire prevention and response work throughout the state. Golden proposed the idea months ago to little fanfare, but Gov. Tina Kotek recently signaled her support for the idea in the absence of other options, telling reporters at a news conference May 20 it would be 'a beneficial approach.' Kotek has asked the Legislature for more than a year to come up with a reliable and consistent funding mechanism to support statewide wildfire work and has so far not received any proposals that come close to meeting her desired target of an additional $150 million per year. Putting $1 billion of the kicker into an account that accrues 5% interest each year could provide the state with at least $50 million of that. 'That would be very helpful for the state,' Kotek told reporters. CORRECTION: Kuenzi is communications director for the Oregon Senate Republicans, not House Republicans, as previously reported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
