Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Dear Oregon PSR Supporter,

I suspect that many of you, like me, are horrified by much of the news and the daily assaults on public health from many fronts. The Trump Administration and Republican-controlled Congress seem determined to undermine protections to health and the environment, and we find ourselves dangerously close to an unthinkable nuclear conflict. The recent Oregon State legislative short session was in many ways disappointing and, particularly around air toxics legislation, deeply concerning. While it is easy to focus on the troubling developments in Washington DC and Salem, it is also important to recognize and celebrate our victories and progress. We have won some significant victories and we are making real progress towards our vision of a peaceful, just, healthy, safe, nuclear-free, non-toxic world.

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility is concerned about possible ramifications of carbon pricing as currently being considered by state lawmakers in Oregon. We have teamed up with APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon), OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Amalgamated Transit Union 757, the Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF), and Verde to ask four key questions about carbon pricing in Oregon. With the future of our communities and planet at stake, we must be careful to advocate for real solutions, not symbolic victories.

Click here or see below for our key questions on Clean Energy Jobs, or carbon cap-and-trade in Oregon.

Oregon PSR worked to represent the voice of public health during the 2018 Oregon State Legislative Session, particularly on issues of climate, gun violence prevention, and environmental health. The short session yielded some victories, some losses, and some deferrals to the 2019 lawmaking session. Here's how Oregon PSR's priorities for the 2018 state lawmaking session shaped up:

Statewide: NO on Initiative Petition 22 (IP22)

IP22 is an effort by Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR), a recognized hate group with ties to white supremacist organizations, to repeal Oregon’s 30-year-old sanctuary law. As members of the One Oregon Coalition’s Environmental Committee, Oregon PSR is involved in efforts to combat this anti-immigrant and racist measure and call out OFIR’s co-opting of environmentalist messaging. If you see someone gathering signatures for IP 22, do not sign it and tell your friends and family not to either.

Portland: YES for the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF)

PCEF authorizes a 1% supplemental business license fee on retail corporations that generate over $1 billion a year in nation-wide revenue to advance environmental justice and public health efforts in Portland. These funds will be used to weatherize and solarize Portland homes and businesses, provide job training, apprenticeships, and minority contractor support, provide energy efficiency upgrades for low income housing, build green infrastructure, and support local food production. Oregon PSR is joining with environmental and social justice community organizations to promote this important step forward for environmental justice in Portland. Get involved: Receive updates and volunteer opportunities for the Portland Clean Energy Fund.

Join the campaign to convince the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to take an official position supporting the immediate and safe decommissioning of the Columbia Generating Station, our region's only nuclear power plant. Groups in our coalition include:

• 350 Eugene
• Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC)
• Oregon WAND (Women's Action for New Directions)
• Church Women United of Lane County
• NAACP Eugene-Springfield
• Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Sign up to receive updates on volunteer opportunities to support this campaign. Be sure to check the box "Join the Nuclear-Free Eugene Coalition."

Click here to view a PDF version of this letter.

Click here to read the Oregonian's coverage by Rob Davis.

Read below for a letter submitted by ten environmental justice and public health organizations including Oregon PSR and OPAL Environmental Justice to Oregon State legislators in Salem.

Vote NO on Senate Bill 1541-A

Dear Legislator,

Oregon has an air pollution problem. We need to clean up Oregon’s air by enacting science-based regulations that protect public health, especially for those most impacted by air pollution. For the past 18 months, countless environmental justice advocates, public health experts, scientists, business experts, lobbyists, agency staff, and members of the public worked as part of the Cleaner Air Oregon process to collaboratively determine effective rules to clean up Oregon’s air. At the beginning of the 2018 Oregon State Legislative Session, House Bill 4002 and Senate Bill 1508 were drafted to implement Cleaner Air Oregon’s standards.

Today, the Port of Vancouver voted to formally terminate its lease with Tesoro-Savage on February 28^th, 2018. This decision, agreed to by Tesoro-Savage, terminates the lease a month early and allows the Port to seek new tenants. With termination of the lease, the Tesoro-Savage oil shipping terminal cannot go forward.

ACTION ALERT: See below for call script.

It is well known that Oregon has an air pollution problem. For the past 18 months, hundreds of Oregonians including impacted communities, scientists, health professionals, public agencies, and businesses have come together to do the hard work to create new health protections through the Cleaner Air Oregon process. Two simple bills were put forward in the Oregon legislature to fund the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to implement Cleaner Air Oregon (HB 4002 and SB 1508). One terrible bill was also put forward (SB 1541). HB 4002 is still alive, while SB 1508 was defeated.

Now, industry has stepped in with a backroom deal to amend SB 1541 to their liking.

If you've been keeping up on the news about North Korea, you probably feel stuck in a never-ending cycle of escalating nuclear-armed standoff. After more than a year of alarming threats and counter-threats, we have an opportunity to change course and make progress towards peace.

Senator Ed Markey has introduced legislation to restrict funding for a first-strike against North Korea, which Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley is co-sponsoring. Senator Ron Wyden has not yet indicated support for this legislation. In advance of the upcoming Olympic Games, we need you to ask Senator Wyden to support diplomacy and prevent war with North Korea.

Fracked gas is a major public health hazard. Many communities near fracking wells and gas infrastructure experience contamination of their air and water. Particulate matter, formaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds threaten their health. Most “natural” gas is methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Calling it “natural” gas doesn’t make it safe. Methane leaks along pipelines are considerable - and they threaten the stability of our climate.