Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Washington Governor Jay Inslee today rejected the largest oil shipping terminal proposed in North America as not in the best interests of the state and its people. The Tesoro Savage project (also known as Vancouver Energy) sought to ship over 131 million barrels of oil per year down the Columbia River.

Entries are being accepted now through March 5th for Oregon PSR's 2018 Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship. In its tenth consecutive year, the Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship is an opportunity to hear from young Oregonians on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Mayor Charlie Hales in December 2016 after Portland's historic vote to block new and expanded fossil fuel infrastructure.

Portland's Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Restrictions Do Not Violate The U.S. Constitution

Oregon Court of Appeals Reverses Lower Court's Decision

Today, the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed, in large part, a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) decision that invalidated Portland’s landmark Fossil Fuel Terminal Zoning Amendments, passed unanimously in December 2016. The Court ruled that Portland did not violate the Dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court’s decision opens the door for local governments to continue to take meaningful action to combat climate change.

Click here for coverage in the Portland Mercury quoting Regna Merritt

Click here for coverage in ThinkProgress.org quoting Regna Merritt

Cowlitz County officials have just released a draft Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Millennium project, the largest and most dangerous coal export proposal remaining in the US. It's time for them to hear from you! 

The good news? While it states no conclusions, the draft HIA clearly reaffirms many terrible adverse health and safety impacts of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals project in Longview and Cowlitz County.

Cowlitz County officials released a draft Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on Thursday that reaffirms many of the serious adverse public health impacts of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals project in Longview, Washington. The significance of the draft HIA is limited due to the severely constrained geographic scope of the study area, and the fact that most major permits for Millennium’s proposed project have already been denied.

Click here to read more at PowerPastCoal.org.

On December 19th, the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) issued its formal written report and recommendation to Governor Inslee on the Tesoro-Savage oil shipping terminal application. In their recommendation, the Council unanimously recommended denial of the oil terminal in Vancouver, Washington for multiple reasons. If built, Tesoro-Savage would bring in 360,000 barrels of crude oil in five fully loaded oil trains every day.

Read the December 9th, 2017 letter to The Oregonian from Oregon PSR Board Member John Pearson, MD regarding the UN's nuclear weapons ban treaty.

"The short-term and long-term danger to Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) begins and ends with the fact that its rates are higher than the market rate for electricity and are likely to remain there if it continues on its current path," writes economist Robert McCullough in his latest report detailing hurdles faced by the Northwest's federal power marketing administration. The challenges faced are not insurmountable, particularly if BPA closely scrutinizes its contracts with the Columbia Generating Station, the Northwest's only nuclear power plant.

By Damon Motz-Storey, Oregon PSR Clean Energy Organizer

It was a strange year for the United Nations Climate Summit in Bonn, Germany. Par for the course after declaring intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump's official United States representatives to the climate talks in Germany were representatives from the coal, gas, and nuclear power industries. Lenka Kollar of NuScale Power (a nuclear reactor designer) sat directly to the left of Holly Krutka of Peabody Energy, the largest private-sector coal company in the world. The panel's title, “The Role of Cleaner and More Efficient Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power in Climate Mitigation,” sounded like something out of a satirical newspaper.

Today the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) unanimously recommended denial of the Tesoro Savage oil terminal in Vancouver, Washington. The final decision now falls to Governor Jay Inslee, and community leaders from around the region are calling on Gov. Inslee to deny the proposal swiftly, ending a four-year saga over the massive, 360,000-barrel-per day oil train terminal. A final written recommendation will be issued on December 19th.

“The future safety, well-being, and public health of our community depends on the choices we make today. Rejecting the proposed Tesoro-Savage oil terminal should be first on the list, “ stated Dr. Stan Freidberg, who has spent 37 years practicing cardiology and internal medicine at The Vancouver Clinic.