Leadership Summit Panelists Highlight Opportunities for Manufacturing
In her December column, OBI Chair Karen Vineyard, Market Executive, Global Commercial Banking for Bank of America, discusses the opportunities for manufacturers in Oregon.
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OSHA Vaccine Mandate Update |
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On Friday, Dec. 17, a federal appeals court lifted the temporary stay that had blocked the federal OSHA COVID-19 vaccine rule requiring large employers to mandate employees receive the vaccine or complete weekly testing. Federal OSHA can now once again implement this workplace health standard. After the ruling, OSHA announced it will not issue citations for noncompliance before Jan. 10, 2022 and will not issue citations with the rule’s testing requirements before Feb. 9, 2022, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the rule.
After the ruling Oregon OSHA came out with the following update:
"Oregon is a state with its own OSHA program. As such, Oregon OSHA has jurisdiction over workplace health and safety in the state. What a new federal standard triggers is a requirement that Oregon OSHA adopts a rule that is “at least as effective” as the federal version.
To be considered “as least as effective” as federal OSHA, Oregon OSHA is required to adopt the same or similar standard by Jan. 24, 2022. Like the federal standard, the anticipated effective date of the Oregon standard would be 30 days from adoption. Oregon OSHA will once again begin discussions with stakeholders. We will continue to monitor legal actions at the federal level and evaluate their potential impacts on Oregon.”
OBI’s team is working closely with OR-OSHA to understand the implementation timelines and what the state plan will look like for employers. We will provide updated information on the rule as soon as it becomes available.
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On Dec. 21 Oregon OSHA adopted permanent COVID rules in order to maintain protections in the workplace against COVID-19. The rationale for making rules permanent is that temporary rules can only be in effect for so long, so any continuation would have had to have been in the form of permanent rules. However, the agency intends to repeal the rule when it is no longer necessary to address the pandemic. They will meet monthly with stakeholder groups to determine when to repeal all or part of the rule, taking into consideration Oregon Health Authority guidance, Executive Orders from the Governor, infection rates, and vaccination rates. OBI will closely watch these efforts and engage in providing input.
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December 13 Special Session
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The Legislature convened for a one-day Special Session on Dec. 13 where it approved more than $400 million in funding to address a few pressing issues facing Oregonians. They passed a carefully negotiated, bipartisan package of funding priorities including:
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Housing: $215 million in total investments to protect against winter evictions. These dollars will go towards replenishing the state’s rental assistance program, ensuring landlords are paid and to speed up the application process to receive funds.
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Drought Relief: $100 million to support those impacted by this past season of drought, heat, and fires. This will help ensure our rural communities, particularly farmers, ranchers, and agriculture communities, have the resources they need to recover from these devastating natural disasters.
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Illegal Cannabis Enforcement: $25 million to help prevent illegal grow operations, focused on the hardest hit communities in Central and Southern Oregon, and address other community impacts of these illegal grow sites. This investment will also go towards expanding resources for the Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant program.
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Afghan Refugee Support: $18 million to help support the resettlement of Afghan refugees arriving in Oregon.
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Oregon Mass Timber Modular Housing Prototype: $5 million for the Port of Portland to work on the Oregon Mass Timber Modular Housing Prototype project by developing a prototype from mass timber and assessing the economic, environmental, and efficiency impacts of these units to combat the housing crisis in Oregon.
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Gun Violence Prevention: $2 million for East Multnomah County to use on outreach, prevention, and intervention programs to combat heightened gun violence.
The Oregon legislature is set to convene Jan. 11 for legislative days ahead of the 2022 Session, which will begin in February. Your OBI team is monitoring policy developments closely; please reach out with any questions and, if you haven’t already, consider joining one of our policy committees to engage directly on issues important to you. Contact morganbeltz@oregonbusinessindustry.com for more information.
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Climate Protection Program |
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The Environmental Quality Commission (EQC), the body which oversees the work of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ),approved the final rule for the new Climate Protection Program (CPP) on Thursday, Dec. 16. Formerly known as “Cap and Reduce,” the CPP is a large and complex regulatory program that has been in development since January and is the central feature of Gov. Brown’s executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon by at least 80 percent by 2050.
As outlined in the rule, starting January 1, 2022, the CPP will issue permits to companies that supply fossil fuels in Oregon. The permits, equal to 1 metric ton of emissions, will be issued each year in amounts equal to that year’s annual emissions limit. Each year, the allowable emission limit will be reduced by lowering the number of permits issued. Failure to reduce emissions will result in enforcement action by the state.
Business stakeholders were particularly disappointed to see significant last-minute changes in the final rule, which make the rule program even more stringent than the Governor’s Executive Order. In the final rule, DEQ increased the GHG reduction goal to 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050 (previously 45% and 80%, respectively) going beyond the reduction goals set in Executive Order 20-04. Further additions were that the cost of alternative compliance instruments (CCIs) increased more than 30% from $81 to $107 per metric ton, facilities regulated under Best Available Emissions Reduction will now also be required to achieve a 50% GHG reduction by 2035, and CCIs expire after two compliance periods (a total of six years). CCIs did not expire in the proposed rule.
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Oregon Prepares for Omicron Variant |
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Last week, Governor Brown, OHSU and OHA provided an update on Oregon’s preparations for the looming omicron variant surge. Forecasts predict that the new variant will drive the largest ever wave of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations since the beginning of the pandemic. OHSU forecasts that hospitalizations could spike to more than 3,000 by the end of February, more than double the peak level during the delta surge in September. Health officials emphasized that, even though breakthrough cases exist, individuals who are vaccinated have greater protection against severe symptoms than those who are not yet vaccinated. They shared that even the first dose is a more helpful than nothing and urged people to seek a vaccine or, if already vaccinated, get a booster.
OHA presented a five-point plan to get ahead of the coming surge:
- Urge 1 million Oregonians to get boosters by the end of February through opening three new high-capacity vaccination clinics, resuming mobile vaccination clinics, providing support to local health departments, and expanding vaccine doses available with help from the federal government.
- Focus boosters on older adults and minority groups through deploying mobile vaccination teams at long-term care facilities and incentivizing residents and staff to get vaccinated.
- Deliver new COVID-19 treatments and expand testing, including developing a high-volume site in Portland to deliver monoclonal antibody therapy with the capacity to treat 350 people per week.
- Extend OHA’s staffing contract to bring more nurses and other health care staff from out of state.
- Shift the state’s outreach focus to connecting people to boosters.
Importantly, when asked whether she planned to reinstate or enhance any restrictions or mandates, the governor said that she is instead focused on vaccinations and boosters, remote work where possible, and encouraging folks to be safe and cautious during the holidays. The Governor has extended the state of emergency through June 30, 2022, which will allow Oregon to access the federal relief funds, such as enhanced SNAP benefits, and allow Gov. Brown flexibility around activating medical resources.
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Join us at the 2022 OBI Annual Meeting! |
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Please mark your calendars to join OBI for our Annual Meeting starting at 3:00 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Salem Convention Center! This year’s Annual Meeting will include a legislative panel with Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner, Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner and House Minority Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson. We will also be honoring Brad Hicks, retired Medford Chamber of Commerce president, as this year’s Jobs Champion honoree. In addition to these speakers, the day will include a robust discussion of legislative issues and a preview of OBI’s activities and priorities for 2022. The Annual Meeting will be followed by a legislative reception. Please contact Pattiwinter@oregonbusinessindustry.com with any questions.
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OBI Office Holiday Schedule |
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OBI’s office will be closed from Friday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 2 to allow our team to enjoy the holidays with loved ones. We hope you all have an opportunity to unplug and enjoy the holiday season as we reflect on 2021 and prepare for 2022. |
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Benefit Spotlight: Making the Most of MemberZone
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Did you know that your MemberZone portal houses both your individual and company membership information, as well as a calendar of upcoming OBI and member events? You can register to join a policy committee, opt-in to newsletters, find exclusive member only benefits, find and list job postings, and more! Go to the OBI website to login (or create an account if you haven’t yet). Once your account is set up, take advantage of the following features:
- Home: Update personal and company information.
- Personal tab: Communication and newsletter preferences and committee participation in “groups/interests”.
- Events: Showcase your company events and review upcoming OBI and other member events.
- News: Feature your job postings and company events on the OBI website.
- Settings: Easily update personal, company and billing updates and conveniently pay your membership online.
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OBI Members Making Headlines this Month
Here are a few recent headlines from OBI members.
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Welcome to Oregon Business & Industry! |
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OBI is thrilled to welcome 14 new members that joined in November!
Congratulations and thank you to the following businesses for joining OBI; we are a stronger organization because of you.
Watch our new video to learn more about these great members and where they do business.
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Are you taking full advantage of your OBI membership?
Check out all of our benefit programs and start saving today!
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Oregon Business & Industry
1149 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
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