City Council votes to ban companies from moving oil or coal through the city.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
The Portland City Council voted to ban companies from moving oil or coal through the city.
Environmental groups lauded the decision, declaring it a “landmark” move.
Mayor Charlie Hales delivered the final vote for the resolution before the chamber erupted in loud cheers. He said the council’s decision shows a clear commitment to counteract climate change.
“It feels like things are accelerating,” the mayor said, referring to recent action by the White House and a climate summit earlier this year hosted by Pope Francis. “We have one route through those rapids that are just ahead.
(SOURCE: OPB)
The members of the city government hope the resolution affects change.
City Hall has instructed planners to rewrite city building and zoning code so if a company wants to move more oil or coal through Portland, it’ll find city rules standing in its way.
The most immediate consequence of the vote: It appears to permanently block the Canadian energy company Pembina from building a liquid propane terminal at the Port of Portland—completing a move by Hales, who yanked the terminal’s permits in May.
(SOURCE: Willamette Week)
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