Oregon’s forest sector and agriculture industry are under attack… AGAIN!
A handful of BAD bills have been dropped and are gaining traction. We can’t afford to stand by and watch our way of life be misrepresented and misunderstood. It is our duty to make our voices heard and tell Salem the truth about our collective reality!
Bill Summaries
HB 2674-1
Substantive Amendment & Full Summary
This Amendment’s overreach is a direct assault on rural small business, particularly when many Oregon working families and small business employers are grappling to recover from more than two difficult years in rural Oregon.
– 3% excise tax on the retail sale of tires;
– 1.5% privilege tax for businesses who sell or lease off-road equipment;
– 1.5% use tax on off-road diesel equipment purchased outside of Oregon;
– 3.5% rental tax for rentals of off-road diesel equipment;
– 2% rental tax for rentals of all other qualified heavy equipment (note: this tax goes to counties not diesel retrofits);
– Privilege tax on heavy-duty trucks and light-duty; and
– Gas tax on all red dyed diesel, including dyed diesel used off road in farm equipment
Public testimony was supposed to be heard on 3/3, but it was removed from the agenda. It has not been rescheduled at this time. This bill is in the House Committee on Environment and Energy.
HB 3305
Bill Text
Under HB 3305, retail dealers, nonretail dealers or wholesale dealers of diesel fuel would be prohibited from selling the fuel in accordance with the following schedule:
– January 1, 2024, nonretail dealers located in Clackamas, Washington or Multnomah County.
– January 1, 2025, retail dealer located in Clackamas, Washington.
– January 1, 2027, nonretail dealer is located anywhere in this state.
– January 1, 2028, retail dealer is located anywhere in this state.
The bill has not been referred to a committee, but will most likely end up in the House Committee on Environment and Energy.
HB 2814-1
Bill Text, Amendment & Amendment Summary
Develops an indirect source review program to control emissions of air contaminants from or associated with indirect sources of air pollution
The bill’s proposed costly indirect source air review program would unfairly and disproportionately impact
rural communities, local governments, and small family-owned forest businesses:
– Local government could be impacted by their rural unpaved road systems, and the economic drivers of their communities, including forest-farm-construction projects;
– Impact of this program would be felt by Oregon’s whole economy, but especially by rural areas and small businesses that are not equipped to absorb added analysis, review and permitting requirements—expected for forest-farm-construction projects;
– Costs of air quality analysis and permit preparation would be prohibitive for small business;
– Substantial delays would also be caused by review requirements;
– New permitting costs and regulatory hurdles would create further strain on forest, farm, and construction businesses; and
– This is a bad time to burden small business and local governments—as our state recovers from the historic economic impacts of 2020-21
These bills are an appalling overreach by Oregon legislators, particularly when many families are struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating wildfires in 2020, and 2021 ice storms. Further, rural Oregonians shouldn’t have to pay to solve Portland’s problems—real or perceived!
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.