City Council Work Session - Electrification Roundtable - 4/08/2026, 4:00 PM

The City of Bend, Oregon held a City Council Work Session on April 8, 2026, focused on an electrification roundtable discussing a proposed climate pollution fee aimed at encouraging building electrification to meet climate goals. Utility providers including Pacific Power, Central Electric Cooperative, and Cascade Natural Gas presented on infrastructure capacity, renewable energy procurement, emissions reduction targets, and challenges related to resource adequacy and transmission constraints. The session included detailed discussions on the fee structure, exemptions (notably for affordable and middle-income housing), and the implementation timeline, with varying stakeholder views on urgency versus piloting the policy. Several participants advocated for a pilot program to study impacts before full implementation, while others emphasized the need for immediate climate action. The council is expected to deliberate and decide on the policy in a subsequent work session, with staff recommending check-ins to recalibrate fee calculations based on updated utility data.