And the OLCV Award goes to...

The Scorecard is an objective portrayal of how legislators vote on the House and Senate Floor on environmental issues.  However, the Scorecard does not tell the entire story.  To help flesh out the picture, we have chosen to highlight ten legislators who showed clear leadership on behalf of Oregon’s environment in ways beyond their floor votes.  (So many legislators worked hard for environmental protection this past session that it was hard to choose just ten.)

We applaud the following six Senators and four Representatives, who are listed within each chamber in alphabetical order.

SENATE

Energy Star Award

Senator Jason Atkinson

(R-Jacksonville)

Senator Atkinson was a focused player in support of renewable energy and energy conservation.  He played a vocal role supporting SB 838, one of the most important environmental bills in the last two decades, helping shepherd it through difficult negotiations.  As Vice Chair of the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee, his support was critical to the ultimate passage of SB 838.

Consensus Builder of the Year

Senator Brad Avakian

(D-Beaverton)

Senator Avakian showed great passion for the environment as Chair of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.  He moved the most significant environmental legislation of the day through his Committee with style and grace.  As a consensus builder, he was not interested in pushing people out of the negotiation. He would incorporate all of the issues and find a solution that could move through the building and be supported by a wide range of individuals.  This was the key to his success and we appreciate him greatly for it.

Environmental Bulldog of the Year

President Peter Courtney

(D-Salem)

President Courtney was our stalwart supporter at critical times during the session.  His door was always open to our issues and concerns.  A bulldog (that could be cuddly), he brought the right people together to move bills.  For example, when Senator Walker came to him with the proposal to clean up Oregon’s rivers, President Courtney helped to keep the bill alive at strategically important times.  He also worked tirelessly on revisions to the bottle bill.

The Green Money Award

Senator Richard Devlin

(D-Lake Oswego)

Senator Devlin, in his capacity as Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee in the Ways and Means Committee, was in a key place to make sure that Oregon’s environmental and natural resource agencies were adequately funded, something that hadn’t been true in the last decade.  The Senator worked collaboratively with the Co-Chairs of the Full Ways and Means Committee, Senator Schrader and Representative Nolan, to ensure these agencies had the funds needed to protect our water, air, land, and wildlife.  Senator Devlin’s thoughtful approach to all problems meant that committee hearings ran smoothly.  His good work resulted in significant new support needed to enforce clean air and clean water safeguards, and to promote a healthy environment for future generations.

Visionary on Clean Water

Senator Vicki Walker

(D-Eugene)

Senator Walker worked with Senator Gary George to create a landmark agreement on cleaning up Oregon’s waterways that seemed virtually impossible at the beginning of session.  Through perseverance and a strong will, Senator Walker brought together diverse interests and forged a compromise.  Her work marked an important milestone on the path to allow Oregon’s families to safely boat and swim in Oregon’s rivers.

THE DYNAMIC HOUSE-SENATE DUO

Dynamic Duo Award

Senator Floyd Prozanski

(D-Eugene) and

Representative Greg Macpherson

(D-Lake Oswego)

Senator Prozanski and Representative Macpherson worked tirelessly throughout the session to fix the worst flaws in Measure 37.  They held many hours of hearings and work sessions, listening to people from across the state and across the political spectrum on whether and how to reform Measure 37.  The result, HB 3540, protects Oregon's farms, forests, and groundwater, as well as the rights of families to build homes on their own property.  It fixes flaws in Measure 37 that allow large housing subdivisions, big-box stores and strip malls where they don't belong.   And it restores balance by helping small property owners and preserving Oregon's special quality of life for future generations.

HOUSE

The Award for Perseverance

Representative Vicki Berger

(R-Salem)

Representative Berger was particularly focused this session on expanding and improving Oregon’s bottle bill.  It was her focus that made the bill a reality.   Along with other key players, she successfully fought to expand the bottle bill to cover plastic water bottles, while establishing a task force to work on further improvements.  After 36 years with opponents successfully fighting off any improvement to the bottle bill, Representative Berger parted the sea to add plastic water bottles.

Environmental Champion of the Year

Representative Jackie Dingfelder

(D-Portland)

Representative Jackie Dingfelder never deviated from her vision to protect Oregon’s land, air, water, and wildlife.   She was influential on every significant environmental victory that moved this session.  Representative Dingfelder’s in-depth knowledge of environmental issues made her the go-to person who other legislators consulted on thorny questions.  Her Chairmanship of the House Energy and Environment Committee allowed her to move key priorities.  Oregon’s families owe her a debt of gratitude for her stalwart defense of our natural legacy.

Caretaker of the Year

House Speaker Jeff Merkley

(D-Portland)

Speaker Merkley was a strong leader who did not carry his ego on his sleeve.  He listened carefully and always had an open door to the conservation community.  He also cared a great deal about the cohesiveness of his caucus and was able to juggle the tricky balance between moving a conservation agenda forward while ensuring his caucus members agreed to the goals.  Speaker Merkley deserves much of the credit for this successful environmental session.