Cleaning Up the Electric Grid: Q&A with Ben Brint

This session, OEC worked with our coalition partners in the Oregon Clean Grid Collaborative to pass four bills that clean up the electric grid. It's a huge step toward meeting our climate goals. OEC's Ben Brint shares how:

Can you give me a high-level summary of what the legislative session looked like this year, especially around climate? What were some major wins and losses?

Heading into session, I think we and our partners in environmental advocacy, environmental justice, and related spaces talked a lot about right-sizing our asks on climate, recognizing this would be a tough year federally and potentially with the budget. We wanted to get realistic wins, so we brought legislation forward that reflected that. The budget situation turned out to be much worse than anyone expected. That resulted in a lot of the key climate programs-like heat pump programs and community resilience hubs-not being funded.

That was a big blow. We also saw federal impacts (most egregiously the Big Ugly Bill) and even House Republicans asking the Attorney General to go after landmark Oregon climate programs like the Climate Protection Program. So, we were playing a lot of defense. But we didn't let that stop the great coalition organizing work that helped pass some impactful legislation. So we still got some good stuff done.

Tell me about our grid wins-specifically GETS (grid-enhancing technologies), the Energy Facility Siting Council bill, and the two microgrid bills?

When we talk about "the grid," we mean the system that takes electricity from generation sites and delivers it to where demand happens. That involves transmission and distribution. We focused more on transmission and generation because of our involvement in the Oregon Clean Grid Collaborative.

The Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) bill says utilities should consider ways to get more out of the existing transmission infrastructure. These tech upgrades can increase capacity by up to 40% and improve reliability-and utilities weren't required to consider these options before.

Microgrids are used where energy resilience matters-like hospitals or schools-so if the main grid goes down, they can disconnect and still operate using on-site solar and batteries. These bills aimed to clean up rules to allow more microgrids, especially in rural communities where outages can last longer. Sustainable Northwest was a key partner on this.
Then the Energy Facility Siting Council bill (HB 3681) streamlines the state's permitting process for building renewable or transmission projects. Contested cases can take years, and this bill says they shouldn't take more than 12 months. The goal is to speed up critical infrastructure.

GETs and HB 3681 were both sponsored by Rep. Gamba, right?

Yes. He and his team did a great job getting those across the finish line.

From a big-picture perspective, what are OEC's long-term grid goals? Why has this become such a priority in our climate work?

Great question. If we want to meet our HB 2021 climate targets, we need to clean up our energy sector-which is one of the top carbon-emitting sectors. A lot of utility-scale clean energy is built in rural eastern Oregon, but the demand is in cities. So we need infrastructure-especially transmission-to move that energy. OEC also wants to do this equitably, involving tribal and environmental justice communities in siting decisions. That's why we're co-anchor of the Oregon Clean Grid Collaborative.

Looking ahead, we'll likely revisit the Transmission Authority bill. We need innovative ways to fund and build transmission. We're also seeing huge demand growth from data centers. That's why the Power Act was crucial-it ensures data centers pay their fair share for infrastructure, not just ratepayers.

What have been some of your favorite places to climb in Oregon and Alaska?

Smith Rock is kind of the mecca. I came here as a kid when I was climbing competitively, so it's always held a special place for me. The history there is incredible. In Alaska, Hatcher Pass is really special to me-it's a beautiful climbing area that a lot of people love, which makes it feel even more special.

So the Power Act helps direct funds toward grid infrastructure?

It's more about making sure data centers pay their fair share. It doesn't guarantee they use clean energy, but if the state has to build infrastructure to meet their demand, they need to help fund it-not put it all on ratepayers. Utility rates are regressive. Why should everyday people pay for Amazon's data center energy needs?

You mentioned federal threats like the Big Ugly Bill. Can you talk about the importance of state-level wins in moments like this?

At the largest scale, I'm interested in how the international system is being reshaped in a Trump-era administration. There's a conversation about the erosion of the post-World War II international order and reshaping of relations . I don't have the answer to that, but I'm curious to see how it plays out.

The Big Ugly Bill will slow the clean energy transition by taking away tax credits that lower project costs by 30%. But even without those, solar is still one of the cheapest forms of energy. The grid needs batteries and other support to handle wind and solar-which are the fastest-growing sources.

Even if the federal government rolls back progress, states like Oregon need to keep moving forward. We owe it to residents to build out infrastructure and support clean energy development. These technologies are still the lowest cost, most reliable sources. Even if you don't care about the climate, they're just smart policy. And of course, more dirty energy only worsens climate change.

What's next for our climate work?

We're focused on clean energy procurement, transparent transmission buildout, building decarbonization, and energy affordability. We'll also keep defending climate policies-like the Climate Protection Program-and standing up to efforts to roll them back. And we'll support natural climate solutions that sequester carbon.
We're also thinking about whether OEC should go deeper into regulatory work-with agencies like the Public Utility Commission or DLCD-especially if legislative wins are harder to get. We'll definitely be involved in rulemaking at DEQ under the Climate Protection Program.