Oregon lawmakers have passed a bipartisan bill which would increase the state’s lodging tax to direct new revenue to statewide conservation efforts.
The 1.25% tax is expected to generate more than $30 million per year for environmental and wildlife programs.
Colin Reynolds, senior adviser of Northwest programs for Defenders of Wildlife, said over time, advocates were able to overcome opposition from the lodging industry.
“We had a coalition of over 100 businesses supporting this bill,” Reynolds recounted. “We know that people who either visit or move to Oregon will patronize our business, so the better our environment is, the more people will come.”
A 2024 report found Oregon’s outdoor recreation generates $16 billion in consumer spending and supports 192,000 jobs. Reynolds added even with the increase, Oregon will still have the third-lowest lodging tax in the U.S.
In 2025, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife identified 320 at-risk species, including the Southern Resident killer whale, American pika and tufted puffin.
Madison Kenney, advocacy and policy coordinator for the group Friends of the Columbia Gorge, said the new funding will fill a critical need.
“This bill provides a smart solution to conserving the natural resources that fuel our thriving outdoor recreation economy,” Kenney contended. “It is important to fund wildlife conservation proactively, because it is far more expensive to respond once a species is close to extinction.”
Funded programs include wildlife passage and risk reduction, anti-poaching, invasive species response and wolf coexistence efforts. House Bill 4134 is awaiting Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature.
Source: Public News Service
