The Eugene Clean Energy Fund (ECEF) is a ballot initiative to fund local climate justice projects by placing a fee on the profits of the largest corporations in Eugene.
What is ecef 20-388?
where will funding go?
The funds created by the Eugene Clean Energy Fund 20-388 will support four main categories of use.
Renewable energy & energy efficiency programs: 60%
Clean energy jobs training, apprenticeships, & contractor support: 25%
Green infrastructure programs that result in carbon gas sequestration: 10%
Future innovation: 5%
We already know this model works
Portland passed the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) in 2018. Since that time, it has generated $1.71 billion in funding for climate programs. In 2024, PCEF invested $92 million in grants to 71 community-led programs.
In 2025, PCEF, which has become the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, announced $64.3 million in grants awarded to 60 community projects.
That all comes from just a 1% surcharge on Portland’s largest retailers.
The details
Eugene is behind on its climate goals
Since 2010, the City has reduced fossil fuel emissions in its own operations by 24%. The goal is to reach a 50% reduction by 2030. That leaves just four years to reduce emissions by an additional 26%.
Community fossil fuel emissions have decreased by just 11% since 2010, leaving a 39% gap to close in order to achieve a 50% reduction by 2030.
Similarly, community greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by only 10%, with another 90% needed to achieve the goal of a 100% reduction by 2050.
Eugene residents want progress
Polling shows that 63% of Eugene voters would support a fee on large retailers to fund clean energy jobs and job training in low-income Eugene neighborhoods. Portland’s PCEF passed with 65% support.
Currently, Eugene’s existing clean energy transition incentives are underfunded and limited. The Eugene Clean Energy Fund will not only create funds for local climate justice programs, but serve as a launch pad for long-term organizing for a clean energy future.
It will build a network of regular, everyday people who want to reestablish Eugene as a city that stands for community, environment, labor, and justice.