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Activists have registered an initiative that would create a clean energy fund financed by a 2% fee on local profits of the nation’s largest retailers. Organizers now need to gather enough signatures to get it on the ballot.
Environmental justice organizers announced a new ballot initiative Monday that would require corporations with operations or stores in Eugene to pay fees into a clean energy fund.
A coalition that includes Beyond Toxics, Breach Collective, Oregon Just Transition Alliance and Sierra Club of Oregon registered the Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative Friday, Feb. 20. If they gather enough signatures by Aug. 6, then a measure will appear before voters on the November ballot.
The local coalition modeled the measure on the 2018 Portland Clean Energy Fund, which raised money for programs that help people most vulnerable to climate change. For example, the fund paid for portable air-conditioning units for low-income residents ahead of summer heat waves last year.
Members of the coalition, including chief petitioner Aya Cockram, said organizers felt compelled to act in the absence of city leadership on climate action.
While the Eugene City Council passed the Climate Recovery Ordinance in 2014 — setting a citywide goal to cut fossil fuel use 50% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels — progress has stalled at 24% reduction as of October 2025, Cockram said.
Additionally, the Eugene ordinance does not establish a dedicated funding mechanism for programs that help the city and its people adapt to climate change, such as living with wildfire smoke.
Meanwhile, businesses with large transportation footprints, including Amazon, plan to open in Eugene.
“This [fund] is something that nonprofits and community groups in Eugene have had in mind for a very long time,” Cockram said. “With the Climate Recovery Ordinance and with big corporations trying to come into our community even more than ever, that, you know, the time couldn’t have been better for us to launch this campaign.”
In registering the initiative, groups filed a 10-page petition with language to enact as part of Eugene city code.
It outlines a “Large Retailer License Fee” for corporations that earn more than $1 billion annually in the United States and more than $500,000 within the city of Eugene. Those retailers would pay a surcharge of 2% on gross profits from retail sales in Eugene, excluding basic groceries, medicines, among other sales that intersect with public services.
A coalition analysis estimates the fund would generate about $15 million a year, based on fees collected
The measure sets guardrails on how the fund could be used, including investments in renewable energy infrastructure and clean jobs. It also directs a nine-member committee to recommend allocations to the mayor and City Council and to provide oversight and accountability.
A coalition analysis estimates the fund would generate about $15 million per year.
If voters approve the measure, it would take effect in 2027. Beginning in 2029, covered corporations could not operate in Eugene without first obtaining a “Large Retailer” license.
Efforts to rely on businesses to help address environmental concerns are also playing out in the city’s Public Health Standards Project, which aims to protect people who live in or near Eugene’s industrial areas by adding public health considerations to land-use policy.
In early drafts created by the city’s land use team, the code would have required a business to obtain — or be in the process of obtaining — permits regulating air and water pollution before receiving a building permit. After feedback from groups including the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, the proposed code shifts responsibility away from businesses, citing concerns about economic setbacks.
Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brittany Quick-Warner told Lookout Eugene-Springfield in an email Monday that they will review the energy initiative before taking a formal position. She pointed to potential tradeoffs such as increased costs for goods that could fall on working families.
“To our knowledge, this measure was not developed in partnership with the local business community,” she said in a statement. “When new taxes or regulations on businesses are created without business input, there is risk of unintended consequences. While the proposal appears aimed at large national retailers, the people working in those stores are members of our community.”
This story was updated to include a statement from the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and details about the Public Health Standards Project.