Oregon deal to swap LCFS for gas tax is dead
By Bill Peters, Argus Media.
A proposal to swap Oregon's low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for an increase in the state's gasoline tax is dead for the current legislative session, governor Kate Brown (D) said yesterday.
"Given the complexity of the issues and the remaining time available, there simply is not a path forward through both chambers for a proposal that accomplishes both this session," Brown said, adding that the idea of paying for the state's transportation infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions "should be decoupled and considered separately." This would avoid the " ‘my way, or no highway' situation in which we now find ourselves," she said.
The legislative package Brown negotiated with eight lawmakers has received withering criticism from environmental groups in recent days, and at a Senate hearing yesterday where its projected emissions reductions were called into question.