Policy and Legislation
Oregon's 2024 legislative session is a wrap! The short session concluded March 7th with key victories for Marine Reserves, Recreational Immunity and Right to Repair.
Jump to section:
Marine Reserves: HB 4132
This bill is related to the decadal review of Oregon’s marine reserves and protected areas and has been a major campaign of the Surfrider Oregon network. Learn more about the 10 year success of Oregon’s marine reserve and protected areas.
Current Status: Victory! Passed by the Oregon legislature on March 6th and signed by the Governor on 03/27.
HB 4132 resources:
Reuse: Rule-Making 2024 SB-545 (2023)
Surfrider launched our Clean up the Code campaign as an effort to promote reusables within Oregon’s health code. This bill passed the Oregon legislature on 04/26/ 2023 and requires Oregon's Health Authority to complete rulemaking by June of this year.
Current Status: Rulemaking underway by Oregon Health Authority, on track for June 2024 adoption - more info here.
SB 545 resources:
Right to Repair: SB 1596
While not an official Surfrider campaign this is an important bill we are supporting during the legislative session and have signed giving it's impact on e-waste. The bill takes an important step in reducing e-waste by giving Oregonians access to the tools and diagnostics to fix our stuff!
Current Status: Victory, passed the Oregon legislature on March 5th and signed by the Governor on 03/27.
SB 1596 resources:
Comprehensive Foodware
In 2023 Surfrider Foundation worked with a powerful coalition to finally pass SB 543, banning polystyrene and PFAS in foodware. This was an important step in reducing plastic pollution and harmful toxics in foodware but many of the alternatives (rigid plastic & "compostable" plastics) can be just as harmful for our oceans. As such, we advocated for a legislative workgroup to better define and direct more environmentally friendly alternatives.
Current Status: Legislative workgroup underway. Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Foodware guidance is providing a strong basis for these discussions in Oregon.
Comprehensive Foodware
Beach Mitigation: LC 1068
Surfrider developed a legislative concept to address mitigation of erosion for Oregon’s beaches. The concept was not introduced this session due to the necessity to further educate coastal legislators on the problems and appropriate solutions to protect Oregon’s shrinking beaches in the wake of SLR, erosion and increasing coastal hazards related to climate change. In 2024, we intend to build a statewide awareness campaign and further our policy development for beach erosion and response
LC 1068 resources:
Nature-Based Solutions
Surfrider is working on legislation and Parks rulemaking to update Oregon's rules associated with Goal 18 and shoreline management to better define and support the use of nature-based solutions in shoreline and beach management. Traditional methods of shoreline management have relied on hardened, engineered solutions such as seawalls that disrupt the coastal processes and actually shrink our public beaches (here's how). The solution is to incorporate more dynamic "nature-based" shoreline management methods such as natural cobble revetments, native dune restoration and natural berms that help nourish the beaches sand supply.
Current Status: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is tentatively scheduled to start rulemkaing in the summer of 2024.
Leg. Concept
In development
Rulemaking
Scheduled to start summer 2024
Legislative Scoping
Surfrider currently has no statewide legislative campaigns within our Clean Water priority. At the federal level we continue our strong advocacy for the BEACH Act to support state water quality monitoring on our recreational beaches. At the state level, we are continuing to scope opportunities to improve the state's beach monitoring program which currently relies solely on federal funding and only tests in the summer months. Along the coast and more locally in Oregon, our chapters operate and maintain 8 volunteer water quality testing labs in Oregon and test year-round our recreational beaches and notify ocean users if it is safe to swim and surf.
Recreational Immunity: SB 1576
A growing campaign with a temporary legislative solution for this summer to reopen over 20 coastal trails including some important beach accesses. A recent ruling and opinion on "recreational immunity", a law that protects landowners from liability, has resulted in these closures. A more permanent solution will follow in the interim before the next legislative session and will scale to an official SF campaign.
Current Status: Passed by Oregon Legislature on March 7 and signed by the Governor on 03/27. An interim working group will begin soon addressing a more permanent fix.
SB 1576 resources: