- FRANÇOIS VIGNEAULT
ON WEDNESDAY, November 4, Portland City Council will consider a pair of resolutions that, if passed, will help the city make good on its green reputation. Portland appears on the verge of saying “no” to new fossil fuel activity.
The resolutions—introduced by Commissioner Amanda Fritz and Mayor Charlie Hales—do two things: Put the city on record as opposing oil-by-rail transportation through Portland and Vancouver, and instruct the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) to explore policy options that would block fossil fuel companies from setting up shop here.
With Hales and Fritz on board, the legislation needs just one more commission vote to pass.
Meanwhile, state Treasurer Ted Wheeler, running for mayor, announced on Tuesday that he supports the legislation.
“The resolutions state clearly that we must move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy,” Wheeler said in an email. “Building a renewable energy economy will take work, and we can do that right here in Portland.”