Charlie Hales heads to Washington, D.C. to discuss energy policies with the president.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales is heading to Washington, D.C. to discuss energy policies with the president.
Hales is one of 11 mayors slated to attend the event, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, about reducing the impact of power plants.
“Oregonians often think we get most of our electricity from hydropower. In fact, Portland gets nearly two-thirds of our electricity from coal and gas. And because most of that is generated outside Oregon’s borders, we have little say over choice of fuels,” Hales said of the upcoming conference.
The invitation to attend the White House conference came within hours of the Greenpeace protest on the Columbia River that tried — but failed — to stop a support vessel for the Shell oil company from sailing to the arctic in support of possible drilling there.
(SOURCE: Portland Tribune)
“Protest is important because that’s how you reach the attention of lawmakers, who listen and then act to change the laws,” Hales said in a statement. “I listened. In fact, I agree that the arctic should be off-limits to oil exploration. And now I’m going to the White House to deliver the message we heard from the protesters, and from thousands of Portlanders.”
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