Make Polluters Pay Act draws broad testimony as committee opens hearing; bill carried forward

The Senate Committee on Energy and Environment opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 1187 on April 7, hearing extensive testimony both for and against establishing a Climate Superfund Recovery Program to assess and recover costs from large fossil‑fuel suppliers for climate‑driven damages.

Senator Khan Pham (Senate District 23) introduced the bill, describing it as the Make Polluters Pay Act. He said the measure would establish an interagency Climate Superfund Recovery Program to adapt to and mitigate climate impacts and to hold responsible parties strictly liable for the cost of covered greenhouse‑gas emissions from 1995 to 2024. Pham told the committee the approach draws on models in Vermont and New York and would assign an interagency role to account for Oregon’s multiple agencies; the bill includes a 30% set‑aside for fire resilience and adaptation to be managed by the Oregon State Fire Marshal and directs DEQ to identify responsible parties…