Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Former Governor Barbara Roberts and Public Utility Commissioner John Savage urge Oregon House members to reject Senate Bill 990, which would make an exception to the state's voter-passed law requiring a permanent disposal site for high-level nuclear waste and statewide voter approval before new nuclear power plants can be built in Oregon.  The bill had passed the State Senate with little notice, and Governor Roberts and PUC Commissioner Savage submitted this opinion piece strongly opposing it - published by the Oregonian on Oregonlive.  Click here for the full article.  

Oregon PSR is working tirelessly with partners to secure strong resolutions from the City of Portland and Multnomah County that support a rapid and just transition to 100% renewable energy. We've been on a trajectory to secure the best policy in the nation. Given that 2016 was the warmest year on record and 2016 was the wettest winter on record, we know we have no time to spare if we are to avert climate catastrophe.

On Monday, May 15th, 2017, advocates for clean and renewable energy gathered in downtown Portland to rally against Portland General Electric's proposed permits to build out fracked gas power plants at the Carty Generating Station near Boardman, OR. Although the utility suspended permits for the project on Friday, May 12th, there is no reason why the project couldn't be placed back on the table. Attendees at Monday's hearing made their voices clear to the Oregon Public Utility Commission: suspended permits are not the same as withdrawn permits. Advocates in Portland demanded clean, renewable energy, telling Portland General Electric to hit the "delete" button on fracked gas, not just the "pause" button.

Oregon PSR endorses a YES vote on Measure 26-193 to get the lead out of Portland Public Schools.

Portland Public Schools haven't had safe drinking water all year.

Be sure to drop off your completed ballots by Tuesday, May 16th!

Learn more: https://www.healthyschoolspdx.com/

OLYMPIA, WA—Oregon and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility helped deliver 1 million comments in support of protecting the Pacific Northwest from dirty, dangerous fossil fuel exports today. Power Past Coal, Stand Up To Oil, Columbia Riverkeeper, and other partners called on Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Ecology to block the proposed Tesoro Savage oil terminal in Vancouver and deny permits for coal export in Longview. Both projects in Vancouver and Longview, if built, would respectively be the largest oil and coal export facilities in the world. 

See video below from Power Past Coal and Stand Up To Oil:

Photo courtesy of King 5

TUESDAY, MAY 9 -- Workers have been evacuated or told to shelter in place because of a tunnel collapse onto a contaminated rail line used to reprocess nuclear waste. 

In an interview with the Washington Post, Edwin Lyman with the Union of Concerned Scientists stated: “It appears that this is a potentially serious event...Collapse of the earth covering the tunnels could lead to a considerable radiological release.”

The incident is a grim reminder that we are still at risk of exposure to highly dangerous radioactive waste from the production of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. You can make a difference: tell the Oregon State Legislature to reject SB 990, which would allow construction of new nuclear power plants that create dangerous nuclear waste.

http://xray.fm/broadcasts/17248 (start @ 1:32:40)

Host Jefferson Smith interviewed Damon Motz-Storey, Oregon PSR Program Assistant, and Mia Reback of 350 PDX this morning on XRAY In The Morning. Damon and Mia discussed Portland General Electric's permit applications to build out deadly fracked gas infrastructure at the Carty Generating Station near Boardman, OR. Add your name to our petition to support clean, renewable energy instead of expanded use of climate-busting fracked methane gas.

2017 Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship Winners

From left to right: Keagan Rice, Kennah Watts, Jessyka Evans, and Brittany Ngia

PORTLAND, OR - Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility was proud to honor four Oregon 11th and 12th graders at the ninth annual Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 28th at the First Unitarian Church in Downtown Portland. The winning students read their entries alongside a keynote speech from Alisha Moreland-Capuia, MD of OHSU.

Proposed coal export site, Longview, WA. Photo courtesy of tdn.com

April 28, 2017 (LONGVIEW, WA) – The Washington State Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County released the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals project in Longview, Washington, the last remaining coal export terminal proposed in the Pacific Northwest. State agencies and Cowlitz County will use the FEIS to decide whether to issue or deny permits to Millennium. “The multiple findings of significant, adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated mean that Ecology and Cowlitz County should deny Millennium’s permit applications. Any other outcome would be scientifically and legally unsupported,” states Jan Hasselman, Staff Attorney with Earthjustice.

A summary of key findings from the FEIS is available here.

Read the full press release here.

Premier Christy Clark

SEATTLE, WA: Yesterday one of the Canada’s top officials, Premier Christy Clark, requested that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stop the export of U.S. coal out of British Columbia’s ports. This request comes after the Trump Administration imposed a tax on Canadian lumber coming into the United States. If this request is approved, communities across the Pacific Northwest will benefit from a decrease in coal dust and diesel pollution that has long threatened the health of those living along rail lines. Open topped rail cars carrying coal contaminates air and water with particles containing arsenic, lead, mercury, and other dangerous pollutants.

Read the full press release here: British Columbian Premier Requests End to US Coal Exports Through Canada