The City of Eugene announced Wednesday that the Eugene Clean Energy Fund has qualified for the November ballot.
Voters will get to decide whether to make large corporations pay money into a fund that supports climate projects.
The measure would charge some large retailers and banks a fee equal to 2% of their gross retail profits made in Eugene.
Only companies that make more than $1 billion nationally in gross profits each year—and more than $500,000 in Eugene—would be required to pay. Basic groceries, medicines, healthcare and garbage services wouldn’t be included.
The revenue from the fee would fund climate infrastructure and green jobs programs intended to offset the businesses’ carbon footprint.
“It's an investment in our community,” said co-chief petitioner Aya Cockram. “As we are sitting under a veil of smoke today, it is just extremely clear that we need to be generating funds for climate, and we need to be really doing work at the local level.”
Last month, supporters turned in more than 14,000 signatures. They needed to have more than 8,700 validated.
According to the Eugene City Recorder’s office, the statistical sampling process conducted by Lane County Elections has determined that the petition has enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Cockram said the results are a relief. She said the campaign will now focus on getting out the vote.
“There is just going to be a huge effort to educate the Eugene community on exactly what this fund is and what it would do,” said Cockram. “Signing your signature to a petition to see something on the ballot is very different than making the decision to vote yes.”
Cockram said she isn’t yet aware of organized opposition to the measure, but she expects it may be coming.
