Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Dear Friends and Supporters,

In 1968, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), became the cornerstone international agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and advancing nuclear disarmament. Today, 191 states are party to the treaty. . With the NPT, those nations who possess nuclear weapons agree not to transfer them to other states, non-nuclear powers agree never to acquire or develop nuclear weapons, all states agree to the safeguards put forward by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and perhaps the most important piece, Article VI, calls on the nuclear powers to take meaningful steps towards eliminating their nuclear arsenals.

I mention all this because the 2026 NPT Review Conference just wrapped up after weeks of negotiations at the United Nations in New York. Once again, the conference concluded with no final agreement among nations. With the rising nuclear risks around the world, this is simply unacceptable and while the result is disappointing, it is not surprising as this marks the third consecutive conference in which states parties have failed to achieve a consensus outcome.

These failures over time have led many nations to question the importance of the NPT and have also shifted more of their attention to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which went into force in 2021. Those who organized and worked for the passage of this landmark treaty won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Since it went into force, the TPNW has had annual meetings of states parties to strengthen the treaty and work on getting more nations on board. This year will be the first review conference for the TPNW.  

I have participated and spoken at multiple NPT Review Conferences and Meetings of States Parties for the TPNW. While I always leave disappointed and frustrated at the NPT conferences, I am often filled with hope at the conclusion of the TPNW meetings, mainly because of how many young people are participating. Each time I’m in attendance I get to meet and hear from young students from around the world who care deeply about this issue and are doing amazing work in the field. Seeing them always reminds me of one of the most important aspects of our work: education.

That’s why this year, OPSR is planning on bringing 10 high school students from the Portland area to the TPNW Review Conference November 30-December 4 at the United Nations in New York. With your support, we will be able to provide these students an opportunity to see diplomacy in action, explore possible career paths, and meet other like-minded young folks from around the world.

During the trip, our students will be able to meet and hear from atomic bomb survivors and for one week witness the serious work being done to achieve a world with no nuclear weapons. We are thrilled to be able to bring this experience to our local students and while the NPT has those of us who work on this issue disappointed, I always tell myself, “The night is darkest just before the dawn.” Thank you for all your support and please consider helping to make this trip a reality for our students. We can’t do it without you.

Data Centers, AI, and Nuclear Energy have become increasingly intertwined. Growing AI development is used to justify the construction of new data centers and massive increases in electricity generation, while data center growth and projected power demand are increasingly used to justify investments in nuclear energy. Together, they form a self-reinforcing system that concentrates wealth and political influence while shifting environmental, agricultural, financial, and public health costs onto local communities. 

The current push for nuclear energy comes after more than a decade of advocacy and lobbying backed by Silicon Valley and Big Tech. Much of that effort focused on building political support for nuclear expansion and creating the conditions for faster reactor development.

Today, the political groundwork laid by that campaign is helping drive efforts to weaken longstanding safeguards in the name of accelerating nuclear development. 

 We encourage you to sign and share the new petition on this issue, created by Emily Cardinal.

Below are several upcoming events from local and national partners focused on different aspects of the growing relationship between AI, data centers, and nuclear energy. 

The High Cost of Nuclear Power
📅 Monday, June 1
🕕 4pm - 5pm PT

Nuclear power has significant economic, health, and environmental costs and poses safety hazards that far exceed those of any other type of energy. We’ll discuss why “new nuclear” is a poor investment for our country.

Oregon PSR is proud to join PSR National, Greater Boston PSR, PSR Colorado and other chapters from around the country in co-sponsoring this one-hour event featuring speakers Dr. Philip Landrigan, Dr. Benjamin Sovacool and Dr. M.V. Ramana. Dr. Caren Solomon will be moderating

Toxic Roots of the Silicon Forest: People, Power, and Pollution in the Semiconductor Industry is a day-and-a-half conference taking place June 3-4, 2026, in Portland, Oregon. 

From the evening of June 3 through June 4, this gathering, co-hosted by Portland Jobs with Justice and CHIPS Communities United, will convene workers, researchers, environmental advocates, and community leaders from across Oregon and beyond. Together, participants will explore the legacy of the microchip industry, discuss its local impacts in Oregon, and plant the seeds for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Co-hosted by Portland Jobs with Justice and CHIPS Communities United, this day-and-a-half conference will convene workers, labor organizers, researchers, environmental advocates, and community leaders from across Oregon and beyond. Together, we will explore the legacy of the microchip industry and how it’s impacting our own backyard.

Oregon PSR is proud to be an Event Partner of the Toxic Roots conference and are excited to discuss and demand that the AI supply chain be sustainable, equitable, and accountable to the people.

We also encourage you to check out an upcoming webinar hosted by Columbia Riverkeeper:

Collision Course - Hanford Cleanup, Nuclear Energy, and Data Centers.
📅Date: Friday, June 12
⏰Time 12pm (noon)
💻Register here

A 60-minute webinar in which we will explore the myth of nuclear reprocessing, why adding new nuclear to the Hanford Nuclear Site is a bad idea, and how the parasitic nature of nuclear energy and data centers are creating a new wave of environmental justice burdens falling squarely on the shoulders Indigenous frontline communities.

Make sure to check out the following documentary screenings that are happening in early June.

Doors open at 2:30 to allow time for people to connect with community organizations who will be tabling. A discussion about where to find plastic alternatives, and how our U.S. Senators are addressing this issue will follow the showing of the film. Popcorn will be served. The event is Free. 

Free parking is available on the street and at Legacy - 1919 NW Lovejoy.  Park in any spot except 1-10.

The Plastic Detox is an affecting new documentary that follows six couples struggling with fertility as they reduce their exposure to plastics to see if it helps. The results are startling. We learn how microplastics affect our bodies, the changes we should all make, and the alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

For details about the film series, including a flier, go to: https://linktr.ee/earthjusticefilms

Register for free to view the full short film and hear from director Judith Ehrlich, Ellsberg family members, and nuclear weapons experts and activists, followed by a Q&A.

     Panel:

Amie Thurber, PSU School of Social Work Associate Professor
Chris Borte, Trainer/Organizer for Protect Oregon & Freedom Training
Jeremy Simer, Community Organizer with Worth Fighting For St. Johns
Nancy Hiser, Community Safety Advocate with Tank The Tanks and the Linnton Neighborhood Association
Simone Crowe, Thrive East PDX Community Resilience Workgroup, Co-Chair

     Moderator:
Margaret Butler, Former Executive Director of Portland Jobs With Justice. Currently with XR-PDX and Climate Jobs

This virtual, two-day course is designed to help healthcare professionals better understand indoor air pollutants and gain practical tools to support patients in creating healthier indoor environments. 

This workshop is ideal for healthcare professionals involved in patient assessment or education, including respiratory therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, community health workers, and other frontline practitioners. Participants will learn practical, evidence-based approaches to identifying and addressing indoor air quality concerns and become familiar with resources from the American Lung Association—such as the IAQ Action Plan and patient education tools—to support patients affected by indoor air pollution. 

Portland has some of the worse air quality in the country and it’s mainly due to the exhaust from diesel trucks. In Washington State and California diesel trucks are required to have filtered engines which remove 90% of the micro particles that are emitted from burning diesel. But Oregon has no such requirement and so the resulting pollution, known as black carbon, rains down on largely marginalized communities throughout the city. Because that’s the routes that the majority of these trucks take. 

In an episode of Locus Focus from earlier in May, Dr. Patricia Kullberg, an Oregon PSR board member and former medical director of the Multnomah County Health Department, explains what black carbon is, why it poses such serious risks to public health, and what can be done to reduce its impacts on Oregon communities.

As always, we are deeply grateful for your continued support. The forces driving climate change and nuclear risk are powerful and well-resourced, but they are not unopposed. Together, we are building the power, relationships, and momentum needed to win. Your dedication makes it possible for Oregon PSR to protect community health, push back against these escalating threats, and continue working toward a more peaceful and just future.

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Slides for that event can be found HERE!

We know that data centers are an issue so many of you care about, and it was great to see so many of you at Rumble on the River 30: What’s the Deal with Data Centers? Pt. 2. A video from Rumble on the River 28: What’s the Deal with Data Centers?, held in January, can be found here. We also encourage you to watch the recording of the event The Data Center Frontier from our allies at the Natural History Museum on data centers, held a few weeks ago.

In other words, it would make Big Oil immune to real accountability. These laws would undermine all efforts across the US to hold the fossil fuel industry responsible for their role in the climate crisis.

So here is what you can do, right now, to help stop this:

1. Use the 5 Calls Action Tool to contact your local representatives on this issue. Enter your ZIP code and it will guide you through contacting your legislators, with a simple script to help you communicate your concerns. 
   
   
2. Use this tool from the Union of Concerned Scientists to email your members of Congress and demand that Big Oil be held accountable, and not be placed above the law. The tool includes a template you can edit to reflect your own perspective and insights.
   
   
3. Sign and Share this national petition from the Make Polluters Pay coalition. 

We thank you for joining us in this fight to Make Polluters Pay.

 Join Oregon PSR at the Toxic Roots of the Silicon Forest: People, Power, and Pollution in the Semiconductor Industry Conference on June 3-4, 2026, at Portland State University.

Co-hosted by Portland Jobs with Justice and CHIPS Communities United, this day-and-a-half conference will convene workers, labor organizers, researchers, environmental advocates, and community leaders from across Oregon and beyond. Together, we will explore the legacy of the microchip industry and how it’s impacting our own backyard.

Oregon PSR is proud to be an Event Partner of the Toxic Roots conference and are excited to discuss and demand that the AI supply chain be sustainable, equitable, and accountable to the people.

 Join the American Lung Association for a free CME event: the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Workshop for Healthcare Professionals. This virtual, two-day course is designed to help healthcare professionals better understand indoor air pollutants and gain practical tools to support patients in creating healthier indoor environments. 

This workshop is ideal for healthcare professionals involved in patient assessment or education, including respiratory therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, community health workers, and other frontline practitioners. Participants will learn practical, evidence-based approaches to identifying and addressing indoor air quality concerns and become familiar with resources from the American Lung Association—such as the IAQ Action Plan and patient education tools—to support patients affected by indoor air pollution. 

As always, we are deeply grateful for your continued support. The forces driving climate change and nuclear risk are powerful and well-resourced, but they are not unopposed. Together, we are building the power, relationships, and momentum needed to win. Your dedication makes it possible for Oregon PSR to protect community health, push back against these escalating threats, and continue working toward a more peaceful and just future.