In June 2019, Oregon took the first step toward eliminating the time change when legislators that would allow most of the state 鈥� the majority which falls into the Pacific Time Zone 鈥� to remain in daylight saving time.
Gov. Kate Brown signed the legislation, yet it hasn鈥檛 gone into effect. It鈥檚 been two years, so why not? There are a few layers.
Some background on why daylight saving exists
More than a century ago, 1918 to be exact, the federal government first 鈥渄elegated time zone supervision to the federal organization in charge of railroad regulation 鈥� the Interstate Commerce Commission,鈥� according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation鈥檚 website.
The concept of once the U.S. entered World War I, after the government noticed Germany鈥檚 practice of changing time to conserve fuel and power with extended daylight hours. The U.S. was inspired and copied the idea.
Once World War I ended, daylight saving time was abolished for the nation as a whole but allowed to continue on a state-by-state basis.
鈥淎s a result, confusion and collisions caused by different local times once again became a transportation issue,鈥� according to the U.S. DOT.
In 1966, the department was founded and given regulatory power over time zones, which included the renewal of uniform daylight saving time across the country with dates for the twice-yearly time transitions set by law.
Currently, two states (Arizona and Hawaii) and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam .
What it will take for Oregon鈥檚 law to begin
Doing away with 鈥渇alling back鈥� and 鈥渟pringing forward鈥� in Oregon is not just up to Oregon 鈥� its Pacific Time Zone neighbors are involved, too.
All three West Coast states are trying to stay in daylight saving time. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a similar measure as Oregon in 2019. In California, voters supported year-round daylight saving time in 2018. The proposition then went to California lawmakers, but when legislators didn鈥檛 pass it by the end-of-session deadline.
So, California is the main reason the change is in a holding pattern on the West Coast.
However, even if California followed the suit of Oregon and Washington, there鈥檚 still another party that gets a say: Congress.
In the case that the trio of states would be in favor of year-round daylight saving time, federal lawmakers would have to give a stamp of approval to the change and having all three states on the same page would likely help. Congress needs to get involved because the federal doesn鈥檛 allow for year-round daylight saving time.
Is there another way without California?
There is, but it鈥檚 tricky. It relates to how Arizona and Hawaii don鈥檛 observe daylight saving time.
As noted earlier, those two states remain in standard time year-round. Oregon鈥檚 measure has approved the state to always observe daylight saving time.
Under federal law, a state can exempt itself from daylight saving time transitions by being in standard time year-round. There isn鈥檛 a requirement for congressional approval when a state goes that route.
The benefit of daylight saving time over standard time is as its name and purpose suggest: to have more light in a day 鈥� which many argue is better for individual health, economic productivity, etc. The benefits are why it was created and .
Looking ahead, gave itself a 10-year window to become 鈥渙perative,鈥� so the process is ongoing until the deadline of Nov. 30, 2029.
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