Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon PSR and environmental justice advocates within Multnomah County have worked tirelessly to hold polluters accountable for their contributions to the climate crisis. Due to this work, Multnomah County has brought a lawsuit against major polluters such as Exxon Mobil and Shell, consultant agency McKenzie, and PNW gas utility NW Natural, along with the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM) - a non-profit research group. The quit alleges that the knew about the impacts of fossil fuels on the climate crisis and intentionally led marketing and educational campaigns that fed misinformation to the public. Specifically, the suit highlights that OISM led the misinformation campaigns with funding from Exxon and other fossil fuel companies. 

You can read the full article here.

This article was originally published in the New York Times on October 10, 2024 by Karen Zraick. 

We are thrilled to announce that Samantha Paladini (she/her), previously our QVS Program Assistant, is our new Peace and Justice Program Manager. Samantha will be working closely with board members Andy Harris and Elaine McKenzie to reorganize the Peace Work Group into the Peace and Justice Action Team. We hope you will join us as we organize for a more peaceful and just Oregon for all. We took the time to ask Samantha about her new position and her thoughts on rebuilding our essential Peace and Justice program.

Read on to see Samantha's answers!

Oregon’s largest natural gas utility is attempting to blend low-emission hydrogen into natural gas in Portland to fight climate change, but many say it’s a bad bet

An interview with Oregon PSR Board Member Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH

OPSR had the pleasure of speaking with one of our board members, Patricia Kullberg MD, MPH to learn more about the social determinants of health, a modern lens to approach public health by taking into consideration intersectional factors that contextualize health issues within a given community. Join us as Patricia debunks the old fashioned “bad genes, bad behavior, and bad luck” philosophy and begin to understand how underserved communities experience disproportionate health disparities through social determinants.

This year, Pacific Power is trying to raise rates by 21.6% for Oregon households. A typical household could see an average increase of $29.47 each month. This amount would be much higher during the winter months and summer months when heaters or air conditioners are turned on.

Pacific Power’s proposed increase is largely from wildfire-related costs. After the court ruled the company was grossly negligent in the 2020 Labor Day fires, Pacific Power has consistently made moves to pass liability costs onto customers. The Oregon Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will be closely analyzing this request to ensure the company is held financially responsible for wildfire liability.

Utility customers across the state are feeling the impacts of higher energy bills. CUB is working hard in this case to make some big changes to how regulators handle these requests from utility companies.

NW Natural Asks for 18% Rate Increase

This could mean customers pay over 50% more for gas bills than in 2020.

This year, NW Natural is asking to raise rates by 18% for residential customers. Overall, customers could see an increase of $169.68 per year. With the proposed increase, winter bills alone would go up $22.73 a month for an average household. Customers could face an average heating bill of $150 per month next winter. 

To learn more check out the Oregon Citizens Utility Board Website

Last month, our Program Assistant Samantha Paladini attended the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Conference, where members from all over North America met in Oakland, CA at the Sonesta Hotel to discuss climate justice issues around incineration, zero waste, plastic, and climate.

OPSR is excited to highlight our member Linda Richard’s newest book, Making the Unseen Visible, where she uncovers the stories of how people’s health and the environment has been affected by nuclear fallout and radiation. Learn about colonial nuclear testing in North Africa to uranium mining in the Navajo Nation and battles over public memory around Hanford in Linda’s collection of community and scholarly work. Just as radiation is invisible, many of these stories continue to be unseen, intentionally hidden by governmental powers around the world.