Sen. Brock Smith condemns passage of Climate Superfund Bill

Senator David Brock Smith Condemns the Passage of “Climate Superfund” Bill, Warns It Will Raise Costs on Working Families
By Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith,

SALEM, Ore. – Senator David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, is condemning the passage of Senate Bill 1541, the “Climate Superfund” bill, warning it will increase costs for working families across Oregon.

“Make no mistake: Senate Bill 1541, which passed out of committee on a party-line vote, will increase costs for Oregonians,” said Senator Brock Smith.

Senator Jeff Golden (D-Ashland), Chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire, used his position to introduce SB 1541 as a committee bill rather than under his own name. He then devoted the entire February 5 committee hearing exclusively to consideration of his Climate Superfund bill, with no other legislation heard that day. Senator Brock Smith criticized the move as an unprecedented abuse of power.

“Senator Golden is out of touch with working families, full stop,” said Senator Brock Smith. “Thousands of Oregonians from every corner of Oregon showed up and expressed their strong opposition to Governor Kotek’s gas tax and fee increases last session—legislation Senator Golden supported with seemingly no hesitation. Their opposition was so strong that over 250,000 Oregonians signed petitions in a matter of weeks to refer the $4.3 billion tax and fee increases to the ballot this November, though there is now an active attempt to rig the process and move that vote to May.”

Senator Brock Smith warned that Senator Golden’s Climate Superfund bill will not only increase fuel costs but will also drive up housing prices and the cost of goods and services statewide.

“This comes on top of the costly wildfire hazard map fiasco stemming from Senator Golden’s Senate Bill 762, which related to skyrocketing costs of homeowners’ insurance rates across Oregon,” added Brock Smith. “Just over a year ago, Senator Golden was still applauding his efforts which led to the creation of those wildfire maps, which we ultimately repealed in 2025. Now, working families are literally paying the price for those ‘efforts.’”

“I implore Senator Golden to stop this relentless push for policies that make Oregon less affordable,” Brock Smith concluded. “Oregon families deserve policies—and policymakers—that lower costs and protect their ability to live and work in our great state, not drive them out.”