It's a Wrap 2025 Surfrider Legislative Outcomes!
While on our campaign database scoreboard the legislative policy victories were many this year, much of the final outcomes of this legislative session were extremely challenging. Despite strong bipartisan and diverse public support, nearly all of our budget requests for ocean and coastal conservation efforts went unfunded by the legislature while major development projects ranging from baseball stadiums in riparian habitat to port and estuary development received $800M and $100M respectively. Some bright notes came from our ability to expand on some important no-nonsense policies across nearly all our initiatives and we successfully defended attacks on important policies and laws we care about. Massive kudos to a well-engaged chapter network this session, see some of those metrics.
Key takeaways and outcomes across initiatives are listed below. These are also summarized and updated on the Oregon Surfrider Legislative page with final outcomes for each bill highlighted in blue.
Ocean Protection
Big efforts were made to retain marine reserve funding, ocean acidification management funding, and establish new gray whale entanglement funding within Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFW) budget, most of which were slated to be cut in the Governor's budget at the beginning of the session. Other efforts to better fund ODFW's marine program were also successful via fee increases, while broader agency budget conservation funding like 1% for Wildlife fell short.
Ocean Science Trust Funding - did not advancePlastic Pollution
We expanded on no nonsense policies and lost a few others listed below. Many efforts and behind the scenes defense work focused on the Recycling Modernization Act which made it to implementation today, a first in the nation - learn what you can now recycle, your curbside list on the coast just got a lot bigger!
Beyond Bag Ban Campaign - Advanced, Signed by Governor!
Stop Microfiber Pollution Campaign - did not advance
Ban Chemical Recycling - did not advance
Coast & Climate
A couple of surprises, some things we've been working on for a few years actually made some progress this sesion. These efforts will go a long way in setting us up for better beach management.
Nature First Oregon's Beaches Campaign - Advanced, awaiting Governor's signature
Ocean Shore Permitting - Advanced, Signed by Governor!
Beach Access
While an unusual legislative focal area for Oregon's beaches, the 4 year legal uncertainty of liability that impacted some beach access and public lands is over.
Water Quality
Not all surprise legislative campaigns are good but defense is more often the strategy for water quality in Oregon - this was an example.
Seafood Not Sewage Campaign - Advanced, Signed by Governor!
Chapter volunteer engagement #s and outcomes:
5 Legislative Campaign Victories across 4 different initiatives:
-72 pieces of Surfrider volunteer written testimony
-9 volunteers testified orally online or in person at public hearings
-11 chapter volunteers visited the Capitol to meet or testify in person
-100s engaged in grassroots advocacy actions with their representatives
-4 Chapter Policy Forum and Action Events
-New radical Legislative Testimony Toolkits!
Final Thoughts:
Oregon's Governor & Legislature Need to Step Up for our Ocean & Coasts
It's a bit terrifying to see the fiscal direction towards coastal and port development amidst a federal administration that is actively dismantling all of Oregon's coastal and ocean land use and federal consistency. Governor McCall, a Republican with deep values for Oregon's coastal resources, had a famous quote about selling Oregon to developers and abandoning our natural resource values and uses. It's hard to imagine Oregon's democratic supermajority and gubernatorial leadership now throwing Oregon's budget and our resource values to the hungry wolves - but money talks and this session was astronomical (see paragraph 1).
Nearly every Governor since McCall's time has issued bold executive orders and leadership to protect the coastal and ocean natural resources and allow for associated uses - from directing the Territorial Sea Plan to establishing the Governor's Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC). Bold orders with vision and direction such as the establishment of a system of state marine reserves and protected areas or even planning for nearshore renewable wave energy. The legislature has often followed suit in funding these natural resource efforts, bipartisan and very much in the Oregon way. This boldly contrasts with leadership today: not a single coastal or ocean executive order in the past 6 years, no direction or participation in OPAC and 3 years of budget recommendations to cut marine conservation programs - all three of which were contrary to formal recommendations from OPAC. And despite that Oregonians, in continued bipartisan and engaged stakeholder fashion, have continually had meager coastal conservation legislative requests and simple planning policies not just ignored, but at the same time allowing millions to projects that threaten it. What makes Oregon's coast, our public beaches, our abundant ocean resources, wildlife and unparalleled opportunities so special is all on the line, change is in order or we stand to lose what we love most on the Oregon coast.