Oregon Governor Signs Executive Order on Climate Change After Republican Walkout
A coal burning power plant in Morrow County, Oregon. Shutterstock
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Washington legislature approves expanded tax exemptions for tribes … Pharmacists in Florida will be able to treat the flu … Mobile barbershops made legal in Iowa.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order this week to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state, just a few weeks after Republican lawmakers once again staged a walk out to prevent a vote on a cap-and-trade bill. Brown’s order sets the state’s goals at a 45% reduction below 1990 levels by 2035 and an 80% reduction by 2050. The order directs 19 state agencies and commissions to take action on a number of fronts, from altering building codes to prioritize energy efficiency to updating energy efficiency standards for appliances. “The executive branch has a responsibility to the electorate, and a scientific, economic, and moral imperative to reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions and to reduce the worst risks of climate change and ocean acidification for future generations,” the order reads. The order also includes a provision similar to the failed cap-and-trade bill, as carbon polluters in the industrial, transportation and natural gas sectors will have their emissions capped and reduced over time by the state’s Environmental Quality Commission and Department of Environmental Quality. Democrats in the legislature, including House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, praised Brown’s move. The order will likely face legal challenges from businesses. “I’d say there is a high likelihood that we’re going to end up in court,” said Shaun Jillions, a lobbyist hired to fight cap-and-trade legislation. Republican Senate Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. said that the state will likely lose a legal challenge. “All this is going to do is just initiate a whole bunch of lawsuits. I’m afraid that this is going to be a great waste of the taxpayers’ money,” he said. Brown placed the cost of the litigation solely in the hands of Republicans who walked out of the vote on prior legislation. “If opponents to my executive order are really concerned about the cost of litigation—particularly Republicans—they should have stayed in the Capitol and completed their work and done their job,” she said. [Oregon Public Broadcasting; The Oregonian]
TAX EXEMPTIONS | The Washington state legislature passed a bill that would expand the number of tribal-owned properties eligible for property tax exemptions. The exemptions would now apply to off-reservation buildings used for economic development. In Snoqualmie, where a local tribe recently purchased a lodge and land around a waterfall to stop it from being developed, Mayor Matt Larson said he was displeased with the bill. “I am very disappointed. It is fundamentally unfair to all other taxpayers in my community,” he said. Donny Stevenson, vice chairman of the Muckleshoot Tribal Council, said that the bill was finally “placing federally recognized Indian Tribal governments on the same level as state and local governments when it comes to property taxes and the essential governmental services of economic development. Sovereign governments should not be treated differently from state and local governments when it comes to taxation.” [Snoqualmie Valley Record]
PHARMACISTS | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that will allow pharmacists to test and treat people for the flu, strep throat, and other non-chronic conditions. Pharmacists will need to complete a 20-hour course and maintain liability insurance coverage of at least $250,000. The Board of Pharmacy will also need to develop a list of drugs that a pharmacist can prescribe for the conditions. The measure was proposed before the coronavirus pandemic, and is meant to give flu patients options beyond seeing a physician or going to urgent-care or the emergency room. "The flu is very serious, and this legislation will provide Floridians without insurance, or who cannot afford urgent care or emergency services, with a treatment option that is affordable … With all that is going on in the world, now is the time to normalize our pharmacists as a point of contact for folks to receive care,” said bill sponsor, state Rep. Tyler Sirois. The law takes effect July 1. [Florida Today]
BARBERSHOPS | Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a measure legalizing mobile barbershops. The legislation is expected to help people with disabilities and veterans, some of whom patronize mobile barbershops that have already been operating illegally. [KCRG]
DOGS | Delaware Gov. John Carney signed legislation to limit the amount of time a dog can be tethered in a yard. Pushed by animal rights advocates, dogs can now only be tethered for two hours when an owner is not home and nine consecutive hours when the owner is home. [WMDT]
Emma Coleman is the assistant editor for Route Fifty.
NEXT STORY: How to Understand Your State’s Coronavirus Numbers