16 Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch HB 3406, which ultimately included the HCAS policy, passed easily through the process and off both floors. We are hopeful that this change will help create a more accurate understanding of our transportation system so it can be better balanced in the future. TOLLING As shovels go into the ground on several major projects over the next several years, many Oregonians have expressed strong concerns with tolling. When the 2017 transportation package passed, it was understood that the Rose Quarter project would be at least partially funded by a construction-based tolling program. However, more recently, the Oregon Department of Transportation has made it clear that they intend to perpetuate a tolling program for all lanes at all times of day, which inequitably impacts commuters and trucking companies. Legislators, especially those in Clackamas County, pushed back strongly against tolling. Several bills were introduced to express their discontent, including HB 3614, SB 933, SB 1072, HB 3424, HB 3293 and HB 3441. None of these bills even received a hearing, but it did put pressure on leadership to take the tolling outrage seriously. In May, Governor Kotek ordered a pause on tolling until 2026. The change will presumably delay tolling on Interstate 205 by at least a year from the currently planned late 2024 start. House and Senate leadership also agreed to create a Special Subcommittee on Transportation Planning that will oversee ODOT's infrastructure repair and modernization plans, including efforts to mitigate the impact of tolling on vulnerable communities. OREGON TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION A more progressive wing of the Democratic party has called for revisions to some of the state’s environmental and transportation regulatory systems to support climate action and increased diversity. Led by Rep. Khan Pham, HB 2619 would have modified the composition of the Oregon Transportation Committee (OTC) by requiring the OTC to include a member under 25 years old, a member whose primary method of travel is not a car, a member with disabilities, and a member who represents an Oregon tribe. The bill would have also made other changes to the requirements of OTC meetings and appointments. The bill did not have the support of the majority of the Joint Transportation Committee, and it died upon adjournment. LANE SPLITTING For years, motorcyclists have advocated for legislation that would allow for “lane splitting” or “lane filtering,” which allows for motorcyclists to ride between vehicles at speeds under ten miles per hour if surrounding traffic is moving slower than 10 miles per hour. Legislation passed the House and Senate in 2021, but it was vetoed by then-Governor Kate Brown. With a new governor, SB 422, an identical bill to the one in 2021, was expected to have a better chance of passage. It moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and passed off the floor 27-2. The bill was referred to the Joint Transportation Committee. The makeup of this committee was such that it did not have the votes to pass. After one public hearing in the joint committee, it died upon adjournment. RENEWABLE DIESEL MANDATE Renewable diesel is a burgeoning technology in the transportation sector. Unlike biodiesel, which is made through a different production process, renewable diesel has demonstrated better performance in a variety of conditions while still producing far fewer carbon and sulfur emissions than conventional diesel. Unfortunately, the market for renewable diesel remains limited in many states, including Oregon. In December 2022, the City of Portland passed an ordinance to phase out conventional diesel. SB 803 was introduced in the 2023 legislative session that expanded this concept to prohibit conventional diesel sales across the state. As introduced, it would have begun in the Portland metropolitan area in 2026, expanded to western Oregon in 2028, and applied statewide in 2030. Exceptions would have been made if the Oregon Department of Agriculture determined that the price of renewable diesel was ten percent higher than conventional diesel for 14 consecutive days, or if the supply 2023 Legislative Session Recap, cont. The 160-day 2023 Oregon legislative session may be considered one of the strangest and most unique sessions in recent history.
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