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  • ‘The Tides Are Turning’: Portland Passes Landmark Resolution Against Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
  • No Coal in Oakland
  • November 13, 2015
Orginally published on Friday, November 13, 2015 by Common Dreams
‘It’s a powerful sign that the the fossil fuel era is beginning to come to an end’
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer

Supporters of the fossil fuel infrastructure resolution take part in a rally on Nov. 4. Credit: Rick Rappaport|350PDX

In what climate activists are celebrating as a “landmark” win, the Portland (Oregon) City Council on Thursday unanimously voted to pass a resolution opposing the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the city and its adjacent waterways.

“This is a huge victory for the movement and for climate stability,” stated Mia Reback, climate organizer for 350PDX, which joined groups including Rising Tide, Columbia Riverkeeper, and Portland Audubon Society in supporting the resolution.

Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper, writes (pdf) that the Oregon city’s resolution “takes a strong stand against this fossil fuel infrastructure and has the teeth to succeed.” Explaining the specifics, he adds:

Due to federal preemption, Portland cannot block all fossil fuel transport. Federal law, for example, limits city regulations of trains and interstate pipelines. Portland is taking a smart approach by asking city planners to do everything they can, within the law, to stop fossil fuel transport and infrastructure. Example: While Portland cannot block all oil trains, Portland does have the authority to deny an oil shipping terminal if the project violates land use zoning or fire codes. This would have the effect of preventing all the oil trains needed to serve the terminal. The resolution, therefore, is not just symbolic.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, as well as climate campaigners, said the city’s stand showed it taking exactly the kind of approach needed in this moment of climate crisis.

Following the vote, Hales wrote on his social media accounts: “I’m proud ‪#‎PDX‬ City Council passed the toughest fossil fuel export policy in the U.S. If we take action and lead on climate, we can shape our future—that’s the hope that we heard in students today. I am proud to be a Portlander!”

350.org co-founder Bill McKibben said in a previous statement that “‘no new fossil fuel infrastructure’ is the right rallying cry for this moment in history, a stand that would galvanize the rest of the planet and demonstrate where the future lies.” Vanden Huevel adds that the city “is taking action as a climate leader now” and that “[t]he significance of Portland’s action will be magnified as more cities take action.”

Campaigners also see the resolution as another indication that the extractivist economy is on its way out the door.

“The tides are clearly turning: from the global movement to divest from fossil fuel companies to the tune of $2.6 trillion, to major victories at the national level, such as getting a U.S. president to stop a major fossil fuel infrastructure project for the first time in pulling the plug on Keystone XL, to the local level such as this landmark victory today,” said Adriana Voss-Andreae of 350PDX.

“It’s a powerful sign that the the fossil fuel era is beginning to come to an end and that we are the change we’ve been looking for,” she said.

Did You Know

1billion

Tons of CO2 Are At Issue

More than 1 billion tons of CO2 could be added to the atmosphere if Oakland's new commodities bulk terminal by the Bay Bridge toll plaza is dedicated to coal.

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Quote

"The city of Oakland took an important step recently documenting the health and safety risks and climate impacts of coal and specifically banning its shipment through the city. Other localities should follow suit -- and the state should too -- to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate the shipment of coal through all California ports." - Gov. Jerry Brown, August 26, 2016
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