There’s still time to testify for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air toxins in Portland! The public comment period for the City of Portland’s “Clean Air, Healthy Climate” proposals ends this Friday, January 8th at noon.
So far, the city has mostly heard from business who are, unsurprisingly, staunchly opposed to it. It’s critical that the City hears from citizens who actually care about stopping carbon emissions.
The draft proposals are in response to the 2020 Climate Emergency Declaration and would establish fees on Portland’s largest polluters to accelerate environmental justice initiatives. Details of the proposals can be found here.
The proposal, while a move in the right direction, does not go far enough as the fees it establishes aren’t high enough to incentivize industries to reduce emissions. It also doesn’t address critical sectors like transportation. Nevertheless, it still provides some accountability for the social costs associated with air pollution and green house gas emissions.
When asked how the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will proceed with the proposals, Kyle Diesner, BPS Climate Action Program Coordinator, clarified the Bureau’s position in this written statement:
“We don’t know exactly what the rest of the process will look like, because it greatly depends on the type of public comments we receive and what kind of actionable changes are offered. We won’t be making any decisions on next steps until after public comment closes.”
To comment, click HERE. Locations of the largest polluters are shown on the map. The blue “testify” link on the right takes you to the comment form. A sample letter is available here.
