Oregon House Republicans walk out over cap-and-trade bill

SALEM, Ore. – A day after Oregon Senate Republicans walked out over environmental legislation, their peers in the Oregon House walked out as well.

Senate Republicans walked out in protest of the cap-and-trade bill Monday morning. Democrats support the bill but Republicans said they refused to work with them, leaving them with no choice but to walk out.

Cap-and-trade is a term used for capping the amount of carbon companies can release into the air. If companies stay under that cap, they can trade their leftover emissions allowance to others. One of the amendments Republicans proposed Monday morning included a proposal to refer the climate plan to voters. Democrats voted that down.

Democrats tried to appeal to Republicans by easing the strain on rural Oregon, but it wasn’t enough to gather any support.

Republicans in the state House refused to assemble in the capitol Monday. On Tuesday, Oregon House Republicans followed suit, with their leader, Christine Drazen, releasing the following statement:

“From the first day of this short session it has been clear that Governor Brown and the majority party have not had an interest in respecting the legislative process and have repeatedly refused to compromise. Each and every amendment we offered on Cap and Trade in committee has been rejected. I had remained optimistic up until yesterday that a compromise could be reached. Unfortunately, our attempts to achieve a bipartisan consensus that would take into account the views of all Oregonians were denied. Oregon House Republicans are taking a stand, with working families, in opposing Cap and Trade and this rigged process. We will continue to keep all lines of communication open. I call on Governor Brown and the majority party to refer Cap and Trade to the people.”

Oregon House Democrats released the following statement in response to the House walkout:

“For the last three years, Democrats across the Oregon Capitol have worked in good faith with Republicans to find compromise on carbon legislation. In just the last year alone, we have held more than 35 hours of public hearings, gone on a statewide tour, had countless hours of conversations between stakeholders and made significant changes in response to our Republican colleagues’ concerns. The reality is, in today’s Republican party run by Donald Trump, nothing will ever be enough for them. House Republicans walking out on the people of Oregon in service to oil companies, polluters and other special interests is cowardly. We are here continuing to do our work. Republicans need to come back to work and do the job Oregonians elected them do [sic].”

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