This month marks three years since Eugene City Council pulled their proposal to ban some new natural gas hookups.
Since then, two other Oregon cities have passed fees on new gas appliances. But Eugene has given few updates on its next steps.
Eugene’s 2023 ordinance would have required developers to use electric hookups in new low-rise residential buildings. Supporters said that could have lowered the city’s reliance on fossil fuels.
But the idea drew pushback from a group financially backed by NW Natural, who gathered enough signatures to place it on the ballot for a public vote.
Before that could happen, a Ninth Circuit judge struck down a similar ban in California, saying it was preempted by federal law. Eugene’s City Council then pulled their ban, arguing it might be difficult to legally defend.
“We do have an obligation to stem the flow of fossil fuels in our community,” said Lucy Vinis, then the Mayor of Eugene, at a meeting that July. “But I also believe when you're faced with a brick wall, and this legal challenge faces us with a brick wall, you have to find other pathways to do the work.”
Bend and Ashland
When the court ruling came down, activists in Ashland had also been pushing for a ban on natural gas hookups. Chad Woodward, the city’s Climate & Energy Analyst, said he was tasked with looking into alternatives.
In 2025, the city council settled on its approach, passing the state’s first Carbon Pollution Impact Fee.
The law went into effect at the beginning of this year. Woodward said developers must pay for each gas appliance they install, and the fee is based on the expected “social cost” of the carbon produced.
Woodward said in June that it was too early to tell what the impacts will be. But he said so far, there have been no legal challenges.
Mike Riley, a City Councilor in Bend, said Ashland’s model was inspiring. He said his colleagues in Bend had quickly ruled out the idea of a ban.
“First, the community did not like the idea of a ban, and they wanted to retain some amount of choice between builders and homeowners,” said Riley. “And secondly, bans are legally not very defensible.”
Last month, the City of Bend passed a climate impact fee for gas appliances in new homes, duplexes, townhouses, and accessory dwelling units. Riley said the revenue will go towards climate projects.
He said it includes a caveat, as it won’t apply if a gas appliance would have less of a climate impact than its electric equivalent. Bend's fee will go into effect next April.
“We've taken what we think is a reasonable approach that reflects some of the concerns that we've heard from the community about not eliminating choice and accounting for the net carbon produced,” said Riley.
Further work in Eugene
In Eugene, a staff presentation to city council in late 2024 suggested that new fees on developers could be one way to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
But in an email to KLCC in June, city spokesperson Marion Suitor said Eugene’s sustainability team has not been asked to work on electrification since the 2023 ordinance was rescinded.
Suitor said Eugene has never provided financial incentives for energy efficiency, weatherization or fuel switching. Instead, she said it directs residents to EWEB, the state, and other partners.
Eugene City Councilor Matt Keating told KLCC in a text that he didn’t expect the conversation around curbing natural gas hookups to reemerge any time soon.
Dylan Plummer with the Sierra Club said advocates are interested in seeing a climate impact fee come to Eugene.
He said although the discussions in Eugene have helped lay the groundwork for Bend and Ashland, the incentives in place in the city right now aren’t enough.
“Sadly, we are not on track to meet our climate recovery ordinance goals,” said Plummer, “and we are not moving quickly enough with electrification.”
Plummer said he remains hopeful for other reasons, however. Last week, Eugene City Council voted to hold a public hearing on a new ordinance for home energy scores. It would require sellers to disclose how energy efficient their properties are.
At the meeting, City Councilor Alan Zelenka said this proposal would provide important information about the affordability and livability of homes.
“We’ve been working on this since 2019, and four other cities have already done this, working out all the kinks: Portland, Hillsboro, Bend, Milwaukie,” said Zelenka. “So we’re on the tail end of this, but good for us to finally get there.”
According to Plummer, those scores would be an important move towards getting Eugene’s climate goals on track, even if it’s a smaller step than the ban proposed in 2023.
Plummer said he also was excited about the Eugene Clean Energy Fund, which petitioners are currently gathering signatures for. It would charge retail companies operating in Eugene and use the revenue to support decarbonization projects.
“I'm really optimistic about the City of Eugene,” said Plummer. “There's tremendous amounts of opportunity for building on the successes that Ashland and Bend have had.”
