The business community is already pushing back but this may be one of the more substantial actions the City of Portland has considered taking on climate change to date and we must support them. Visit the project website and submit comments by noon on January 4th, 2021.
The Healthy Climate Fee would establish a $25 per-ton fee on GHG emissions from facilities in Portland that report emissions of 2,500 metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) per year or greater to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Based on 2019 data, approximately 35 facilities in Portland would be subject to the fee. Covered facilities are primarily industrial plants, hospitals, food production facilities, and higher education campuses. Together, they released about 370,000 metric tons of CO2e in 2019.
The Clean Air Protection Fee would establish a tiered fee ($15,000/$25,000/$40,000) on facilities that generate substantial hazardous air pollution locally and are therefore required to hold Title V, Simple Air Contaminant Discharge Permits, or Standard Air Contaminant Discharge Permits from the Oregon DEQ. Based on 2019 data, approximately 72 facilities located in Portland hold these specific permits. Those holding permits range from the largest industrial facilities and fuel terminals to institutional campuses and large commercial facilities with back-up electric power generators.
