Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Sign up to testify for the Portland Fossil Fuel Terminal Zoning Amendment (FFTZA) hearing this Thursday, June 30th at 2:00 PM. This landmark law will ban new or expanded bulk fossil fuel infrastructure and we need your support!

We hope that you will join Oregon PSR as we connect our community of members and celebrate our accomplishments at our summer picnic. We're so excited to host an in-person event after such a long time of pandemic-related social distancing!

We'll be gathering on Thursday, July 14th from 2 until 7 PM at Oxbow Park's Dragonfly Picnic Shelter (near 3010 SE Oxbow Parkway in Gresham). This event is free and open to the public, but there is $5 fee per car to enter the park. This will be a fun, family-friendly event, and we encourage you to bring any food or beverage items you would like to share. All are welcome, so please invite your friends and colleagues to join us in celebrating!

*Please note that, in the interest of public health, we are asking that only those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 join us for this in-person gathering.

RSVP below so that we know you plan to join us. We'll follow up with additional details to all who RSVP as we get a bit closer to the event date, but please contact us if you have any questions. Also, carpooling may be an option, so let us know if you are interested in either providing a ride share or joining one.

We look forward to celebrating with you on July 14th at Oxbow Park!

As we move towards a more solar- and wind-dependent energy grid in the United States, the need for energy storage is expected to increase dramatically. Since solar and wind power systems are dependent upon the sun shining or the wind blowing, their reliability hinges upon storing energy when generation is higher than demand and releasing it when demand is higher than generation. Currently, the two leading technologies for this wide-scale level of energy storage include pumped hydro energy storage and battery systems. A recent academic review of both systems highlights their individual strengths: 

The Oregon State Treasury needs to change its investment strategy, concluded a new report which Oregon PSR co-sponsored called "Risky Business: Oregon Treasury's Fossil Fuel Problem." The report details the investments in fossil fuels made by the Oregon State Treasury that are known to the public, and outlines how continued support of the fossil fuel industry by the state exposes Oregonians to climate and health risks, economic cost, and financial risks. "Risky Business" reveals how the Oregon State Treasury has at least $5.3 billion invested in fossil fuel companies with over $1 billion invested in the coal industry alone. A great place to find a summary is on Divest Oregon's Report webpage.

Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, Oregon PSR surpassed our Earth Day Challenge matching pledge in April, raising over $10,000 to support our climate work. Thank you so much! As we celebrated a holiday in honor of protecting our environment, as well as our significant victories for healthier communities and a healthier climate over the past decade, we also acknowledged the growing impacts of devastating climate chaos and injustice and the many challenges ahead.

We have some exciting news to share: Five of our incredible Healthy Climate Action Team volunteers have stepped up to issue a $5,000 matching challenge in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd. We need your help to meet their generous match by the end of April.

Will you support our work for a healthy climate in honor of Earth Day with a financial contribution today, knowing that your donation will be matched 1 to 1?  

On April 20th, we hosted Let’s Talk Trash, an online discussion of Oregon PSR’s campaign to oppose trash incineration in Marion County and beyond. We explored the health effects of waste incineration, how we can eliminate the burning of trash in Oregon, and a zero-waste system that reduces trash and pollution while protecting and putting the health of Oregon’s communities first.

Oregon PSR will be tabling at the 2022 Vancouver Peace & Justice Fair. The Vancouver Peace and Justice Fair will showcase the hard work and creative spirit of individuals, social justice groups, peace organizations, faith communities, performers, artists, businesses, and environmental activists who are making the world a better place.

We hope that you will stop by to meet some of us, learn about our current work, and take action for a more healthy, just, and peaceful world. More details will be coming soon, so check back for details. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, September 10th!

NW Natural is seeking to raise an additional $81.8 million, which would result in an average 11.8% increase to residential gas bills in Oregon. This is in addition to the average 13.2% increase that residential customers saw in November 2021. This request is to cover, in part, increases to executive salaries, increases to investor profits, subsidies for fossil fuel infrastructure, and advertising expenses.

NW Natural has asked the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) to approve this rate hike, and the Commission needs to hear from all of us before making any decisions. Please sign our petition before March 30th to tell OPUC why they shouldn’t let this happen.

Many Oregonians and NW Natural customers are experiencing financial hardship during these unprecedented times. The compounding impacts of fossil fuel-induced climate change, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, have placed an enormous burden on some households to pay for living expenses, including utility bills. Low-income households are more vulnerable to the financial impacts of higher utility rates. This proposed rate increase would force these already energy-burdened households to spend a greater portion of their income on utility bills, leaving less income for other necessities such as food and health expenses.

Sign the petition today!

If you would like to submit your own written public testimony, you can also email your thoughts to [email protected] by March 31st. Here is a NW Natural Rate Hike Online Action Toolkit you can use to write your testimony.

Oregon PSR members and our allies have been part of three recent webinars all exploring aspects of why nuclear power is not a climate solution. We invite you to watch these to learn more about the inherent problems with nuclear power.