14,000 sign petitions for Eugene Clean Energy Fund

from Eugene Clean Energy Fund and staff reports

Eugene Clean Energy Fund campaign supporters delivered over 14,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot. The petition signatures were delivered to Eugene City Hall July 21, a week ahead of the deadline.

The city now has 30 days to confirm that at least 8,726 of those signatures are valid. Initiatives require 15% of the total votes cast in the last mayoral election. The number 8,726 represents 15% of the 58,175 votes cast for mayor in November 2024.

“Today marks a major milestone in our campaign, and the over 14,000 signatures that we are submitting are a testament to the overwhelming support that our initiative has in the community,” said Aya Cockram, co-chief petitioner and Oregon energy transition organizer with Breach Collective. “Eugene voters are hungry to make billion-dollar corporations pay their fair share, and to support investments in climate, clean energy jobs and community benefits.” 

If passed, the Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative will place a 2% large retailer license fee on corporations earning more than $500,000 in profits within the city of Eugene and $1 billion in profits annually in the United States.

Funds would be allocated through four categories: renewable energy/energy efficiency; clean energy jobs training, apprenticeships, and contractor support; green infrastructure; and future innovation.

If the measure appears on the ballot and is approved by voters in November 2026, it is projected to generate at least $15 million to invest back into the Eugene community. 

“The Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative will create family-sustaining jobs for Eugene residents, who will be able to find meaningful careers building their community and lifting up their neighbors by building out renewable energy infrastructure,” said Brian Noble, regional manager, Northwest Regional Council of SMART Local 16.

”I know how important this work is, because I lived and worked in Eugene and the surrounding area for 28 years, while enrolling in and completing SMART Local 16’s sheet metal apprenticeship program,” Brian said. “Being a sheet metal worker meant that I was able to provide a roof, food, and good benefits, including full-family healthcare for my family while building hospitals, schools, and affordable housing for our community.”

The initiative is closely based on the 2018 Portland Clean Energy Fund initiative, which passed with 65% of the vote and has now invested over $1.7 billion into climate, sustainability and clean energy projects in Portland.

The Eugene initiative would establish a committee made up of appointed city residents to allocate the revenue generated by the fee to be spent on clean energy, sustainability, and climate resiliency projects across Eugene, with a focus on providing benefits to low income and historically marginalized communities. 

“Billion-dollar corporations like Amazon and Target pollute our neighborhoods, sending their profits to their investors on Wall Street while working families in Eugene struggle to stay afloat,” said Joel Iboa, co-chief petitioner and executive director of Oregon Just Transition Alliance.

“ECEF is going to change that, putting a small portion of these massive corporate dollars into investments that will benefit our city and our communities,” Joel said. “These funds will directly help frontline members of our community, reducing energy costs, expanding access to life-saving cooling, and creating good paying clean energy jobs.”

The Eugene Clean Energy Fund is being led by environmental justice and climate organizations Beyond Toxics, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, Breach Collective, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club.

The initiative has been endorsed by over 60 organizations, local businesses, and elected officials, including the Eugene Education Association, state Sen. James Manning Jr., Tacovore, Hummingbird Wholesale, and former Mayor Kitty Piercy.

For more, see the website EugeneCleanEnergyFund.org.