Support Smart, Local Journalism
Make a Small Monthly Donation

Give now

Environment
Posted inNews

Parkrose High School Students Speak Out Against Planned Freight Development

After years of neglect and environmental injustice, Northeast Portland teens want to turn the tide on plans for a diesel warehouse they say will pollute their school neighborhood
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

When Kiely Quintero thinks of the ideal future for the Parkrose neighborhood, where she lives and goes to school, she envisions a healthy, thriving community with accessible grocery stores and welcoming spaces for all. But Quintero says she’s already felt the impacts of environmental injustice living in the Parkrose neighborhood.  The outer Northeast Portland neighborhood […]

Posted inNews

Commissioner Rubio Faces Pushback for Proposal to Support Portland Street Response with Clean Energy Funds

Rubio has offered PSR a lifeline from the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Critics say Rubio is treating PCEF like a slush fund to boost her political aspirations.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Why should popular, valuable Portland initiatives wither away from a lack of funding when there’s a city treasure trove available to bail them out?  That appeared to be the question on Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s mind when she offered Portland Street Response (PSR) a life raft in the form of $3 million from the Portland Clean […]

Posted inNews

Portland’s Plan To Spur Housing Development by Relaxing Regulations Has Political Implications

The code change discussions underscored key differences amongst Portland City Council members— some of whom are competing for the mayoral seat this year.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

There’s no one magic bullet that will solve Portland’s housing crisis. But city leaders and developers think strict regulations are part of the reason local housing construction has slumped.  Housing construction across Oregon, and in the Portland metro area in particular, has fallen behind. Addressing Oregon’s housing shortage has been Governor Tina Kotek’s primary goal […]

Posted inTop Stories 2023

The Biggest Portland Environmental News of 2023

Oil company lawsuits, asbestos rain, and Rubio disappoints activists: A lot happened in 2023’s environmental news.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Multnomah County filed a nearly $52 billion lawsuit against big oil companies for their role in the deadly 2021 heat dome event.   On a sunny June day, Multnomah County commissioners voted unanimously to sue 17 fossil fuel companies and big oil consultants, claiming the companies “have known their products were harmful for decades…and need […]

Posted inNews

The Portland Clean Energy Fund Is Fast Becoming the City’s Fiscal Lifeline

New projections show PCEF will have access to about $1.2 billion over the next five years, giving fund leaders the opportunity to greatly expand its clean energy programming.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portlanders have seen several iterations of the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) since they voted to approve the fund to kickstart more climate-friendly initiatives in 2018. PCEF— which is funded by a 1 percent surcharge on local sales at large retailers— has consistently outperformed expectations, requiring leaders to reevaluate the fund’s purpose and […]

Posted inNews

Portland Set to Begin Work on First-of-Its-Kind Climate Investment Plan Financed by Clean Energy Fund

Portland is poised to spend $750 million over the next five years on climate projects through the city’s clean energy fund. The spending plan comes as another city bureau is in peril. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portlanders will soon reap the benefits of a reformed Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) and the estimated $750 million it will have to spend on programs like electric bike incentives and residential clean energy upgrades from now until 2028.  Guided by the PCEF Climate Investment Plan (CIP), which received unanimous City Council approval […]

Posted inNews

Portland Youths Call for Local, State Climate Action at Annual Climate Strike

Hundreds of Portlanders gathered Friday, Sept. 15 to demand Gov. Tina Kotek declare a climate emergency and take action against Zenith Energy.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

“Tina Kotek, listen up! All the youth have risen up.” This was one of many chants that echoed through downtown streets during the Portland Youth Climate Strike (PYCS) last Friday, September 15. The strike, which saw teens leave school to march downtown, was held on an unseasonably warm September day, with temperatures in the 90s, […]

Posted inNews

Missing the Forest and the Trees: How City Politics Are Getting in the Way of Portland’s Tree Canopy

Experts say trees play a key role in combating the effects of climate change, but Portland’s convoluted system has led to confusion and neglect.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

New York and Chicago have towering skyscrapers. San Francisco has classic Victorian houses. Here in Portland, we have trees. From mammoth Douglas-firs to an impressive, multispecies roster of Heritage Trees all over the city, Portland is a dendrophile’s paradise—at least, that has long been the city’s narrative.   Portland’s lush tree canopy isn’t distributed equally across […]

Posted inNews

With Revenue Windfall, Portland Clean Energy Fund Committee Approves Climate Investment Plan

Despite past hiccups, PCEF is now on track to dole out $750 million on carbon cutting projects through 2028.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland needs to act fast if it wants to achieve its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Though the city has several plans on the books to slash citywide greenhouse gas emissions, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) is among the most promising—and well-funded—avenues for local climate action. And after a […]

Posted inNews

Asbestos Found in Northeast Portland Fire Debris, Stoking Neighborhood Health Fears

A fire at a former Kmart building earlier this week spread toxic ash around the neighborhood. Nearby residents say it’s another example of “repeated trauma” at the site.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

When a former Kmart building in a vacant lot at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard went up in flames Wednesday, residents of the surrounding Parkrose and Argay Terrace neighborhoods were concerned. In addition to the thick, black smoke billowing above the area, neighbors reported finding large chunks of ash in their gardens and nearby […]

Posted inNews

Multnomah County to Sue Big Oil for Billions for Their Role In Deadly Heat Dome Event

Multnomah County Commissioners voted today to file a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for their role in the climate crisis and deadly 2021 heat dome.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

As the two-year anniversary of the historic and deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome approaches, Multnomah County leaders are gearing up to hold big oil companies responsible. The 2021 event, which lasted from June 24 through 29, 2021, saw temperatures in Portland reach an unprecedented high of 116 degrees. The remarkable heat event resulted in […]

Gift this article