By: Kelly Campbell, Policy Director
Oregon to remain nuclear-free
We did it! We beat back an onslaught of pro-nuclear bills in the Oregon legislative session to keep Oregon nuclear-free.
Back in January, we were shocked to find that the pro-nuclear forces and their big tech backers introduced an unheard of 13 pro-nuclear bills in the Oregon legislature. Most of these bills tried to overturn or modify Oregon’s moratorium on nuclear power that has been in place since 1980. Their Trumpian “flood the zone” approach meant that Columbia Riverkeeper and our partners had to spend an inordinate amount of time tracking the various versions of these proposals and talking to legislators to make sure they had the facts on why nuclear power is still a bad idea for Oregon.
While in recent years, legislative committee chairs had been forthcoming with Columbia Riverkeeper and our partners, letting us know if a pro-nuclear bill was going to get a hearing or work session, this year they played it very close to the vest, meaning that we had to be ready to defeat any of these bills–some of which had bipartisan support–at any time.
As the session progressed, two bills were left standing: HB 2410 which attempted to exempt Umatilla County from the statewide moratorium on new nuclear, and HB 2038 which directed the Oregon Department of Energy to study nuclear energy.
So I am thrilled to share the good news that as the legislative session officially reached Sine Die (end of session), all of these pro-nuclear bills are now officially dead, and together we have overcome the odds to keep Oregon Nuclear Free.
Thanks to the hundreds of you who emailed, called, signed petitions, and met with your legislators to educate them on this issue. We know that nuclear power is too expensive, too slow, too dangerous, and too dirty to be part of the just transition to a clean energy future.
We’ve already heard that pro-nuke forces will be back next session, but for now, let’s take a moment to celebrate our collective victory for the river and for our communities.
