Representative presses for transmission funding; committee hears bill to study and seed projects

Representative Darcy Edwards, sponsor of House Bill 3927, told the committee the state is at a crossroads on electric transmission and economic development, and urged the Legislature to authorize a study and seed funding to support high-impact transmission projects. The bill directs the Oregon Department of Energy to study the need to expand electric transmission and to develop a report, and it establishes an Oregon Electric Transmission Expansion Fund to develop and complete two transmission expansion projects.

The original draft appropriated $8,000,000,000 to the fund per biennium for five biennia beginning in July 2025; a dash-1 amendment presented to committee replaces the $8,000,000,000 figure with $1,600,000,000 per biennium for five biennia. Witnesses including county and industry representatives testified that inadequate transmission capacity has led to lost or foregone economic development opportunities in parts of the state. Representative Edwards said industry has walked away from projects because the grid could not deliver required power, and she described transmission upgrades as essential to attracting manufacturing, clean-energy supply chain projects and to supporting housing growth.

Testimony supported greater study and planning. Isaac Insco, chief of staff to Representative Bobby Levy, and others said targeted, strategic investment could improve reliability and help rural areas that are “at the end of the transmission line.” Cindy Campbell and other witnesses described past work groups and multi-state conversations that favored creating an authority or public-private financing approach to build transmission while limiting direct reliance on the state general fund. Committee members asked whether the study could proceed first and whether large appropriations should be deferred pending study results; Representative Edwards indicated willingness to pursue study-first options and to work with other lawmakers on financing structures and potential public-private partnership models.

Ending: Testimony closed with the committee receiving perspectives from lawmakers, county staff and technical experts. Members asked for follow-up and indicated interest in coordinating with broader work on transmission authorities and public-private financing; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.