PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Climate activists across the country are launching a week of action aimed at ending the era of fossil fuels, including in Portland.
Activists took to the Willamette River Sunday afternoon, organizing a floating protest at Peninsula Park Beach under the St. Johns Bridge. They hope it will help shape public opinion and convince city leaders to rescind a permit they granted last fall to oil transport company Zenith Energy.
“There have been years of community opposition to this Zenith running oil trains through our community,” said Kate Murphy, a community organizer with Columbia Riverkeeper. “I’m not surprised at all by the crowd.”
Several fiery oil train derailments have made headlines in recent years, including one in the Columbia River Gorge in 2016.
The activists believe Zenith delivering oil by rail seriously threatens the health and safety of Portland residents.
“We’re really pushing to put pressure on the city. We believe until DEQ issues an air permit, the city has the authority to change their mind,” Murphy said.
As part of the permit agreement with the city last October, Zenith agreed to remove all crude oil storage from their facility within four years.
“We are committed to supporting Portland’s clean energy future. We’ll accomplish this by eliminating all crude oil at our Portland location and transitioning to renewable fuels. No later than October 2027,” Zenith said in a statement.
Portland’s controversial deal with Zenith is also a microcosm of a nationwide week of action to end the fossil fuel era.
“The science is in that we have to end our addiction to fossil fuels we can’t wait any longer to stop using fossil fuels to avoid the very worst of the climate crisis we’re in,” Murphy said.