Tell Legislators: Do Not Exempt Aviation, Rail and Watercraft from HB 2020 Regulations

April 15, 2019

Please contact the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction and your district legislators. Tell them to include all modes of transportation in their carbon reduction legislation and to delete the language in Section 10 of HB 2020 granting exemptions to aviation, watercraft and rail fuel.[1]

HB 2020, the Oregon Climate Action Plan, also known as the Clean Energy Jobs bill, has set a goal of reducing carbon emissions in Oregon to at least 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. As noted in the 2018 Biennial Oregon Global Warming Commission report to the Legislature "Transportation GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissions have risen during each of the past three years and have grown from 35% of the statewide total in 2014 to 39% in 2016."[2] In light of this finding, all forms of transportation should be required to reduce their CO2 footprint, not just travel by car and truck.

Additional information on HB 2020 is available at https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/HB2020.

The names and phone numbers of the members of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction are available at https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Committees/JCCR/Overview.

To find out who your Oregon representative or senator is, click on https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/findyourlegislator/leg-districts.html.

Oregon's Emissions from Aviation and Marine Travel Continue to Rise

Aviation activity emits more greenhouse gases than most other forms of transportation, and these emissions are on the rise. According to a 4/12/16 Reuters article by Valerie Volovici, "The United States accounts for half of worldwide CO2 emissions from aircraft. Emissions from the aviation sector are projected to triple by 2050 without regulations."[3] In an article for Oregon Business following the release of the May 2018 DEQ greenhouse gas report, Linda Baker wrote about what she referred to as the Port of Portland's "dirty little secret."[4] Per Baker, the report pointed out that "greenhouse gas emissions from airline transport in Oregon grew from 1.3 million metric tons in 2005 to 1.7 million metric tons in 2015."[5]

Baker also referred to a study by the European Parliament environment committee finding that, "if left unchecked, aviation is on target to increase contributions to global carbon dioxide emissions from today's 3% to 22% by 2050. Emissions from marine activity show a similar trajectory." Yet as Baker points out, despite their significant contribution to climate change "airlines and ships are not included in local and international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions," nor are they "subject to reductions under the Paris Climate Agreement."[6]

The failure of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction to include aviation businesses such as Hillsboro Aero Academy, which runs an international pilot training mill out of Hillsboro, Troutdale and Redmond Airports, means that the flight training schools and the pilots enrolled in them are exempted from the consequences of the CO2 and other toxins they release into the environment on a daily basis. The same holds true for other flight training and aviation businesses located at Oregon's more than 460 airports. Similarly, recreational pilots as well as private and corporate jet owners and their passengers are given free reign to continue polluting our air and compromising the health of the planet. Needless to say, most aviation jobs lean heavily towards the fossil fuel burning end of the spectrum, and as such cannot be considered "clean energy jobs."

The State of Oregon owns 28 airports, yet according to HB 2020, the state as well as the aviation fuel burning businesses located on or adjacent to these properties and the users of these airports are exempted from cap and trade regulations. Individual residents, however, who rely on cars and other forms of ground transport to get to and from work, take children to school or daycare, engage in recreational pursuits and the myriad other activities that require transportation, will be subject to a carbon tax, while flight training schools, recreational hobbyists, business and corporate jet owners continue to spew CO2 emission, lead, PM 2.5 and host of other toxins into the environment.

Rail and Watercraft Should Not be Exempted from Cap and Trade

Zenith Energy transports Canadian tar sands oil from Calgary through the Columbia River Gorge into Northwest Portland before loading it onto tanker ships destined for Asian markets. As noted in a recent Oregonian article, the value of Canadian tar sands crude oil exports from Oregon increased from $2,532 in 2017 to $71 million in 2018, yet HB 2020 exempts these trains from the cap and trade requirements.[7] It also exempts coal trains traveling through the state.

As far as watercraft fuel is concerned, why should boat owners and hobbyists be let off the hook for releasing CO2 into the environment?

HB2020 Transportation Exemptions Capitulate to State, Corporate and Foreign Interests

The Governor of Oregon appoints and the Senate approves the members of the Port of Portland Board of Commissioners. The Port, one of the biggest polluters in the region, owns and operates three airports - Portland International, Hillsboro and Troutdale. HB 2020 grants this state agency a free pass to continue pumping CO2 into the environment with no consequences whatsoever. The Governor also appoints the members of the State Board of Aviation, yet the CO2 laden aviation fuel utilized by individuals and businesses that use the 460 airports located in Oregon are also exempted.

The same goes for companies like Zenith who transport tar sands crude oil from Calgary to Asia as well as trains moving coal to foreign markets. Those who own fossil fuel burning watercraft are also protected from consequences.

There's a clear pattern here of the state continuing to compromise the environment and long term health of the planet by exempting its own aviation economic interests. Those affluent enough to own boats, private planes, flight training businesses and corporate jets also get a free pass, while middle and low income residents are saddled with the bill.

This is unacceptable. All fossil fuel burning forms of transportation should be held responsible for mitigating the damaging effects of global warming.

Sources

[1] Section 10 Exclusions and Exemptions. Oregon House Bill 2020. Sponsored by Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction. Pg. 9. Lines 33-34. Last accessed on-line on 2/12/19 at https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2020/Introduced.

[2] Oregon Global Warming Commission: 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature for the 2019 Legislative Session. Pg. 6. Last accessed on-line at the Keep Oregon Cool website at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59c554e0f09ca40655ea6eb0/t/5c2e415d0ebbe8aa6284fdef/1546535266189/2018-OGWC-Biennial-Report.pdf on 1/6/19.

[3] Volovici, Valerie. Environmental Groups File Lawsuit over Pollution form U.S. Aircraft. Reuters. 4/12/16. Last accessed on-line at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-aviation-climatechange-idUSKCN0X92FB on 2/25/19.

[4] Baker, Linda. Elephants in the Room. Oregon Business. (5/21/18). Last accessed on-line on 12/4/18 at https://oregonbusiness.com/article/energy-environment/item/18338-elephants-in-the-room.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Friedman, Gordon. Company Dodged Spill Training Duty. Oregonian/OregonLive. (4/17/19). Last accessed on-line on 4/14/19 at https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2019/04/oregon-exporter-dodged-crude-oil-spill-preparedness-drill.html.