A measure that would require large corporations to pay fees to help fund local environmental projects has qualified for Eugene’s November ballot. City officials certified that organizers had submitted enough valid signatures to place the Eugene Clean Energy Fund on the ballot.
Measure Details
The measure would require corporations earning more than $1 billion in profits annually in the United States and over $500,000 in profits within the city of Eugene to pay a 2% fee on gross profits from retail sales in Eugene. Organizers of the campaign estimate the fund would generate at least $15 million annually.
This funding would be distributed to support renewable energy for homes, businesses, and schools, while also developing clean energy jobs, green infrastructure like wetlands and canopy expansion, and other future projects.
The initiative is based on the Portland Clean Energy Fund, which passed in 2018, and has since generated about $1.7 billion. Organizers said it was fitting that the measure won a spot on the ballot during the same week when smoke from wildfires created hazardous air conditions in Eugene.
Original reporting: Homepage – Lookout Eugene-Springfield — read the source article.
