Corporate profits have reached record levels, while working people are increasingly living paycheck to paycheck as the cost of living continues to soar. Here in Eugene, billion-dollar corporations generate profits off our community while paying virtually nothing in taxes locally, sending their windfalls back to their investors on Wall Street. It’s time to change that. 

That’s why I’m supporting the Eugene Clean Energy Fund ballot measure, which will turn corporate profits into community power. The measure works by levying a 2% fee on billion-dollar corporations in order to fund programs to reduce energy costs, build renewable energy projects and create good-paying green jobs here in Eugene.

The fee would only impact corporations with gross profits over $1 billion nationally, and over $500,000 locally — only the largest mega-corporations operating in our city. The fee is expected to generate about $15 million a year, and would be managed by an independent committee appointed by the City Council.

The committee would recommend the allocation of funding to projects with an eye toward providing community benefits, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating union jobs.

The measure, which will be on Eugene residents’ ballots this November, is closely modeled after the successful Portland Clean Energy Fund, which passed in 2018 and has successfully invested $1.7 billion of corporate profit into the Portland economy. Since its passage, Portland Clean Energy Fund has already resulted in close to 35,000 metric tons of emissions reductions, and its 2025 grant awards alone are projected to reduce an additional 76,000 metric tons of emissions.

It’s past time mega-corporations like Amazon and Walmart paid their fair share, and contributed to the health and wellbeing of our city. It’s time we built a better Eugene focused on corporate accountability, clean energy and good-paying union jobs. That’s why I’m voting yes on Measure 20-388 this fall.

Kyle Purdy
Eugene