By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

On Jan. 14, the first joint legislative committee meeting of the year focused most of its attention on the Oregon Department of Energy.

“Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek last month called for a ‘full and open Legislative overhaul’ of the agency, including the possibility of disbanding it altogether,” reports The Oregonian.

Many problems have been brought up in association with the Department of Energy, such as controversial sites for new energy facilities and some of the department’s policymaking activities.

One of the biggest problems, according to The Oregonian, will be finding lawmakers who are “prepared to dive into the agency’s many potentially embarrassing problems, and who it will call for testimony.”

Nearly $1 billion in energy tax credits have been issued by the Oregon Department of Energy since 2007 to support conservation and renewable energy projects by various businesses and government agencies.

A tax credit is given as an incentive, allowing taxpayers to subtract that given credit amount from the total owed to the state.

A large controversy the Department of Energy faces is the agency’s decision to allow tax credits to be sold at highly discounted prices to investors, often times at prices discounted more than the state allows.

“I’m hoping the committee will explore these issues in depth, and take steps to make sure it will not happen again,” said Sen. Doug Whitsett of Klamath Falls, a republican lawmaker, in an interview with The Oregonian.

Whitsett, along with four other lawmakers, urged both state and federal authorities to engage in a criminal investigation on the tax credit issues within the department last month.

“The state Justice Department and the FBI, for example, are currently investigating its issuance of nearly $12 million in tax credits to support the installation of solar panels at Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology,” continues The Oregonian.

This brings Western into a possibly sticky situation in the future, with Ackerman being one of the first large-scale residence halls in the nation to achieve a LEED platinum rating.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

The point system is as follows: Certified at 40-49 points, Silver at 50-59 points, Gold at 60-79 points, and Platinum at 80+ points.

“Rooftop solar thermal panels pre-heat water and air for use in the facility, resulting in a 50% reduction of potable water usage and a 35% reduction in energy consumption,” reports Western Oregon University Housing.

Ackerman uses rooftop solar ducts to extract heat energy from the sun as well as thermal panels to preheat domestic hot water.

“The Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center received the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, to obtain this Western Oregon University Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center employed numerous sustainable features, from the management of storm water runoff to the use of natural ventilation in the building,” states a university report.

If WOU continued on the path to solar panel usage for electricity, or to receive tax credits in return from the Oregon Department of Energy, the university may find itself in hot water as well.

The plan that Gov. Kate Brown has proposed would restructure the entire Oregon Department of Energy in every regard, and is planned to restructure Oregon’s energy supply by 2040.

The reformation plan would eliminate coal-fired energy, which in turn would result in over half the consumers receiving renewable energy instead.

“The Governor supports charting a course to lower greenhouse gas emissions and believes expanding the availability of renewable energy in Oregon is one way to make a meaningful impact,” said Chris Pair, a spokesman for the governor, to The Oregonian.

The next meeting is planned for Jan. 29 to allow an insight into the bill from a utilities standpoint. Within a week, the state could see the biggest change in history to Oregon’s energy policy.