Judge orders Oregon clean energy ballot measures to proceed
Says Secretary of State Clarno was wrong in claim they failed single-subject test
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- A Marion County judge on Thursday ordered Secretary of State Bev Clarno to process two clean energy ballot initiatives that environmentalists want to bring before voters in November, after the state official had rejected them.
Clarno, a Republican, had earlier said the ballot initiatives violated a state requirement that legislative measures stick to one subject. But Judge David Leith said she was wrong.
“Under the current precedents, I’m satisfied that IP 48 and 49 do satisfy the single subject requirement,” Leith said.
Backers of the initiatives said they will move full steam ahead with gathering signatures for the proposed measures after they undergo a required step with the attorney general.
The judge’s permanent injunction means the process of earning a final ballot title from the attorney general will resume. Notably, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, refused to defend Clarno in the litigation and had challenged her legal basis for tossing the two proposals and a third one. Rosenblum authorized Clarno to find a private lawyer.
IP’s 48 and 49 would require Oregon to produce all of its electricity using renewable energy and carbon-free sources by Jan. 1, 2045. They also require standards for labor practices to ensure that jobs created during construction and other projects resulting from the petitions are high-quality jobs.
Read more at: https://apnews.com/084541c99335bfce15b3701f6d506160
