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Environment
Posted inNews

Multnomah County Sued Fossil Fuel Companies for Billions. What Happens Next?

The county’s case is playing out amid national efforts to shield fossil fuel companies from climate-related lawsuits.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

In 2023, Multnomah County filed a nearly $52 billion lawsuit against more than a dozen major oil and gas companies, hoping to hold them responsible for climate change and its local impacts. Now, as Oregonians grapple with a historically dire wildfire season and other worsening climate impacts, oil companies want to get the case dropped.  […]

Posted inClimate Issue 2026

Fixing a Hole

What’s to be done with the cyanobacteria-breeding Ross Island lagoon?
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

This is one of many articles in the Mercury’s 2026 Climate Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. When Willie Levenson moved to Portland three decades ago, he very quickly learned how locals related […]

Posted inClimate Issue 2026

PCEF’s Community Benefits

Portland Clean Energy Fund grant recipients share the program’s impact on their lives.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

This is one of many articles in the Mercury’s 2026 Climate Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. Just after President Trump took office for the first time, environmental activists in Portland decided they […]

Posted inClimate Issue 2026

Working for the Planet

Programs like Connecting Canopies and Climate Jobs Oregon strive to make jobs in sustainability sustainable for workers.
Avatar photo by Anna Del Savio

This is one of many articles in the Mercury’s 2026 Climate Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. Creating a greener future requires work—and workers. Climate and labor advocates have […]

Posted inClimate Issue 2026

Sacrifice Zone: Oregon’s Fuel Supply Is on Shaky Ground

The Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub on the Willamette River is a disaster waiting to happen. Advocates want local officials to prioritize safety.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

This is one of many articles in the Mercury’s 2026 Climate Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. An industrial sacrifice zone rests in a remarkable place on the west […]

Posted inNews

E-Bike Town

Portland recently launched an e-bike rebate program. The Mercury rode with some recipients to hear their stories.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

Earlier this summer, Sabrina Taylor picked up her new electric bike, purchased with a rebate through the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund’s (PCEF) new e-bike incentive program. Not long after, she received a wellness check from one of her neighbors, who noticed Taylor’s car was collecting dust after sitting parked for more than a […]

Posted inNews

What Could Be Lost After Trump Rescinds Rule Protecting Public Lands

Lithium mining, mass logging mark new US public land management policy in Oregon after a key conservation rule was repealed.
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

Just over two years ago, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adopted a policy designed to ensure that, after decades of uneven attention to conservation, the Bureau would center conservation and ecological concerns in its management of public lands.  The Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, also known as the Public Lands Rule, explicitly stated that […]

Posted inNews

‘Safer Portland’ Campaign Faces New Complaints As Elections Officials Work to Certify Measure For November Ballot

The city and state are awash in complaints over an initiative to use climate funds to hire more police. What happens next?
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden, Courtney Vaughn and Taylor Griggs

Updated: 5:15 pm July 9 The campaign for a ballot initiative seeking to redirect clean energy funds to the Portland Police Bureau announced Monday it had submitted enough signatures to the city to qualify for the November ballot. The next day, the Portland Auditor’s Office and Oregon Secretary of State received lengthy new complaints alleging […]

Posted inNews

Dozens of Complaints Against Police Funding Petition Prompt State Investigation

The Secretary of State has received more than two dozen complaints alleging campaign canvassers are misleading voters.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

Last month, canvassers began collecting signatures for a Portland ballot initiative seeking to use clean energy funds to hire police. Since then, the Oregon Secretary of State has received 28 complaints alleging campaign petitioners are misleading the public about the proposal. The Secretary of State’s office has opened an investigation into the allegations, many of […]

Posted inNews

Elections Complaint Alleges Canvassers are Intentionally Misleading Public About Police Funding Initiative

Workers gathering signatures for the effort to divert clean energy funds to Portland police are using talking points that don’t line up with the petition’s actual text.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

Two people who were hired to gather signatures for a Portland ballot initiative that would use clean energy funds to hire police say they were trained to mislead the public about the proposal. If true, the conduct would violate state elections rules, and could spell trouble for the petitioners and the company hired to lead […]

Posted inNews

Council Budget Talks Highlight Tension Over Proposed PCEF Moda Center Investment

Mayor Keith Wilson has suggested Portland’s Clean Energy Fund can spare $75 million for Moda Center upgrades, but the details are murky.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

If Mayor Keith Wilson wants to allocate clean energy fund dollars to renovate the Moda Center, he’ll have to go through Portland City Council first. And it’s not clear if they’re going to let him.  Earlier this year, amid a fervor to ensure Portland Trail Blazers’ new owner Tom Dundon keeps the basketball team in […]

Posted inNews

Business as Usual at North Portland Scrapyard, Despite Years of Environmental Violations 

Auto dismantler NW Metals has amassed more than $550K in state fines over the past decade and continues to operate without proper permits. The business has tested the bounds of Oregon’s environmental enforcement.
Avatar photo by Michael Williams

Update: April 6: The Oregon Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that a motion has been filed requesting a contempt hearing for NW Metals, on behalf of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The motion alleges the scrapyard owner violated a 2021 court injunction requiring the company to comply with Oregon environmental law. NW Metals […]

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