We’re on the ballot! Eugene Clean Energy Fund qualifies for November.
Last week, we were notified that the Eugene Clean Energy Fund (ECEF) is officially headed to the November 2026 ballot. The Eugene City Recorder certified that the campaign turned in enough valid signatures to qualify, capping off a wild 100-day grassroots sprint. This campaign started in April with a handful of volunteers and a few hundred dollars in the bank. Four months later, thousands of Eugenians have signed on, dozens of organizations and businesses have endorsed the measure, and here we are on the ballot.
"Gathering such a large number of signatures in less than 100 days is a testament to the energy and support behind this campaign."
– Aya Cockram, Co-Chief Petitioner and Oregon Energy Transition Organizer with Breach Collective
Let’s turn corporate profits into community power
If voters say yes this November, ECEF will put a small 2% fee on the gross profits of corporations like Amazon and Walmart that earn over 1 billion in profits nationally and more than $500,000 in Eugene. Our favorite local businesses won’t be included. Corporate giants will.
ECEF is projected to generate at least $15 million a year for Eugene, directed by a community-led committee toward things like:
Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects
Clean energy job training, apprenticeships, and contractor support
Green infrastructure (bike lanes, trees, resilience hubs, etc.)
Future innovation we haven’t even thought of yet
If this sounds familiar, it’s because ECEF is modeled on the Portland Clean Energy Fund, which Portland voters passed in 2018 with a resounding 65%, and which has since invested over $1.7 billion into climate and clean energy projects there.
"ECEF is for all current and future Eugenians. Our city needs more bike lanes, trees, resilience hubs, good jobs and healthy homes for working families. This November, Eugene voters have the opportunity to hold corporations accountable and invest in our shared clean energy economy future."
– Joel Iboa, Co-Chief Petitioner and Executive Director of Oregon Just Transition Alliance
ECEF is led by Beyond Toxics, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, Breach Collective, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club, and it's already backed by more than 60 endorsers, including the Eugene Education Association, Senator James Manning Jr., Tacovore, Hummingbird Wholesale, and former Mayor Kitty Piercy.
What happens next
Qualifying was Phase 1. Now the real work begins! Phase 2 means voter education, pledge-gathering, and voter turnout. Between now and November, expect canvassers at your door, tables at community events, and palpable momentum directed at one goal: passing ECEF in November.
We’re in the middle of a historic wildfire season, with dangerous air quality levels across the Pacific Northwest. Climate impacts are here, right now. ECEF is an opportunity to build local, lasting solutions.
"It is well past time that corporations pay their fair share of the costs of climate change. This measure is a meaningful step toward protecting our community and safeguarding our future, and one I believe everyone can get behind."
– Lin Woodrich, Active Bethel Community Co-Chair and ECEF endorser
How you can help
Please help support this grassroots campaign to make billion-dollar businesses pay their share, so that we can forge a just and livable future for our community.
Visit the ECEF website to learn more.
Endorse the initiative here.
Contact info@eugenecleanenergyfund.org to volunteer.
