Announcing the Eugene Clean Energy Fund and Clean Energy Leadership Institute!

The Clean Energy Leadership Institute 2026

OJTA is excited to announce the official launch of the Eugene Clean Energy Fund, a ballot initiative coming to Eugene's November election, if it qualifies. For the past few years, our member organization Beyond Toxics, has worked endlessly in supporting local low-income and BIPOC communities in Eugene in a project known as the ‘Bethel Clean Energy Project’, where residents  learn about the benefits of electrification, weatherization, and accessing state and federal rebates that support energy efficiency upgrades in their homes. 

In June of 2025, Beyond Toxics, and our partners at Breach Collective, Sierra Club, and other labor and environmental partners took the Bethel Clean Energy Project a step further and steered the development of the Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative. ECEF would establish a 2% “Large Retailer License Fee” on large fossil fuel corporations earning more than $1 billion in profits annually in the United States, and over $500,000 in profits within the City of Eugene. It is expected to raise around $15 million annually for local communities.

The initiative would leverage and expand access to existing clean energy incentive programs, such as EWEB’s energy efficiency and weatherization incentives. It would also establish a committee made up of appointed City residents to allocate the revenue generated by the fee to be spent on clean energy, sustainability, and climate resiliency projects across Eugene. If successful, this initiative would be voted on in November 2026 and is projected to generate roughly $15 million to invest back into the Eugene community. 

The initiative is modeled after the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), passed in 2018, with some key changes to make it more suited for our community and to avoid some of the challenges PCEF faced. This looks like the administrative costs being limited to 10% of the annual fund, once it is up and running. It would include a nine-person grant committee that would decide on which projects get funded and ensure accountability. The Committee will have one member from the City of Eugene (i.e. a City employee or City Councilor), one member from the Eugene Water and Electricity Board (i.e. an EWEB Employee or Commissioner), one member appointed by the City’s Sustainability Commission, one member appointed by the City’s Human Rights Commission, and 5 members appointed from the general public by City Council. Members of the committee will be required to have extensive experience in the fields pertaining to the Initiative and represent the segments of Eugene’s community that are most impacted by the effects of climate change. The Committee will be required to evaluate the fund’s effectiveness in achieving the City’s climate goals and plans. For example, the timeliness that funds are distributed to non-profits and other IRS tax-exempt organizations. The campaign officially launched on February 23rd, with a press conference.

Additionally, as part of the ECEF campaign, we have also launched the Clean Energy Leadership Institute! The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) is a workshop series designed to train frontline community members in organizing and advocacy skills, hosted by Beyond Toxics, Breach Collective, and Oregon Just Transition Alliance (OJTA). The host organizations will take turns hosting sessions and will also bring in guest speakers. These sessions will be focused on climate and energy justice, but the skills learned can be applied to many organizing scenarios, with the goal is to build grassroots power in the Eugene area.

Here is how you can get involved: 

• Endorse the initiative here

• Follow ECEF on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky

• Contact us at info@eugenecleanenergyfund.org to volunteer or learn more 

We hope you will join us in making major corporations pay their fair share so that we can build a cleaner, more affordable, resilient, and just Eugene for all!

Like the work OJTA is doing? Consider donating-, you can lend a hand with a donation of any amount.

The future we want will not happen without us. Onward.